Warriors vs Lakers Odds, Spread & Picks (Mar. 5)
- Golden State is a 5.5-point favorite in the Warriors vs Lakers odds on Sunday afternoon
- Steph Curry (leg) is set to return after an 11-game absence
- Don’t miss the latest Warriors vs Lakers odds here, plus injury news and best bets
Golden State has officially put the entire NBA on notice. The Warriors racked up their fifth straight victory on Friday, moving inside the top-five seeds in the West per the NBA playoff bracket. Read on for an analysis of the Warriors vs Lakers odds.
Golden State has gone on this latest run without the services of Steph Curry, who’s been out since early February. Curry is set to return on Sunday versus the Lakers (30-34, 15-15 home), and that has online sportsbooks feeling very bullish on the defending champs.
The Warriors have been pegged as the sizeable road chalk in Sunday’s NBA odds, which makes sense given their form, the return of Curry, and the continued absence of LeBron James on the other side.
Warriors vs Lakers Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | -5.5 (-110) | -215 | OFF |
| LA Lakers | +5.5 (-110) | +185 | OFF |
Golden State is currently a 5.5-point favorite, in a contest without a total as of Saturday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET at the crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA, with ABC providing the broadcast coverage.
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Odds as of Mar 5 at DraftKings.
Betting Analysis
Up until this latest run, the season had largely been a disappointment for the Warriors. Call it a championship hangover if you’d like, as perhaps it just took a few extra months to light a fire under this group.
The absence of Curry, as well as Andrew Wiggins (personal), has forced both Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole to assume larger scoring roles. Thompson led the way in the Dubs latest over New Orleans, pouring in 27. He’s scored at least that many points in three of his past five games, and has multiple 40-point nights over the last month.
Steph Curry returns on Sunday 🔥🔥
— SplashBrosMuse (@SplashBrosMuse) March 4, 2023
Klay struggled from beyond the arc to begin the year, but made over 45% of this triples last month. Most of those makes came without Curry, and you can bet he’ll get even more open looks now that Steph is back.
Poole meanwhile, scored just 18 versus the Pelicans, but averaged 31.5 points per game in his previous two outings. He’s also piled up at least six assists in three of five starts, and gives Golden State three lethal long range shooters now that Curry is back.
The Warriors are also getting major production from Jonathan Kuminga off the bench. Kuminga is averaging 17 points per game over his last four outings, while racking up two blocks and six steals in the past two games.
NBA Defensive Rating Ranks – Last 5 Games
| Team | Rank |
|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | 1 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 2 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 3 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 5 |
Speaking of defense, Golden State has started to clamp down in its own end. They’ve held back-to-back opponents to 99 and 91 points, and are yielding an average of only 100 points per outing during their winning streak.
The Lakers meanwhile, continue to struggle without LeBron James. King James sat out his third straight contest on Friday in Minnesota, as LA dropped a 110-102 decision.
Anthony Davis did everything he could to will his team to victory, but he got little offensive support from the rest of the Lakers. Davis poured in a game-high 38 points, but Malik Beasley was the only other starter to reach double-figures.
The problem with this LA team is a lack of depth, and that’s exposed when James can’t log his usual heavy minutes. The Lakers have scored fewer than 110 points in six of the last eight games James has missed, including two of three he’s been absent for due to his more recent foot injury.
To make matters worse, D’Angelo Russell, who was acquired for his scoring at the deadline, looks doubtful to play versus Golden State. Russell hasn’t played in over a week due to an ankle issue.
Warriors vs Lakers Predictions
Outside of Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the leaders in the NBA MVP odds, perhaps no player is more valuable to their team than LeBron.
LA is just 6-11 without King James this season, dropping nine of the past 12 games he’s missed. The Lakers average four points fewer than their season average with James out, and simply don’t have the firepower to keep up the Warriors.
Lakers win% this season:
.333 — Without LeBron
.511 — With LeBron pic.twitter.com/223k9V8pWo— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 1, 2023
Golden State has scored at least 116 points in 10 of the last 11 games Curry has suited up for. While he was gone, they led the league in defensive rating over the past five games. That kind of combination is simply devastating to play against.
Pick: Golden State -5.5 (-110)
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As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
