Fans have witnessed a slew of upsets among NBA playoffs odds, and one of those upsets (along with a non-upset) has produced one of the most anticipated matchups in years. The Lakers’ LeBron James renews his rivalry with the Steph Curry and the Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals. Let’s dive in to Warriors – Lakers odds in advance of this clash of NBA legends.
Click on any of the odds in the tables below to place a wager on Warriors vs. Lakers odds.
Western Conference Semifinals: Series Odds
Just as it was for the entirety of the rivalry with James’ Cavaliers, the Warriors enter the series as favorites. They’re not quite as large of favorites as they were in the peak years with Kevin Durant, but they’re favorites nonetheless.
One thing to note if the teams’ respective regular seasons results carry any weight. Golden State has to feel incredibly fortunate to have drawn one of the few opponents against whom it possesses home-court advantage against. Steve Kerr’s crew finished an abominable 11-30 away from the Chase Center. However, it managed two road wins against the Kings in the first round. Perhaps it’s put that issue behind itself.
The Lakers won the season series 3-1. Unfortunately, none of those games likely mean anything for this series. That’s because the first one featured pre-trade L.A. while one or both of Curry and James missed each of the other three contests.
Let’s take a brief looks at how these teams match up.
Warriors vs. Lakers: Game 1 Odds
The Warriors would seem to have found a friendlier matchup in some ways when compared to the Kings. Perimeter/wing defense is no longer the strength it once was, with Andre Iguodala past his expiration date. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have lost some of their speed due to age and injuries.
Speedy guards De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk gave them fits, yet the Lakers’ offense is based more around the power of James and Anthony Davis.
To wit, the Warriors prevented attempts at the rim better than any other team, per Cleaning the Glass. The Lakers got to the cup more frequently than all but one team across the league. Hence, that battleground figures to play an important role, particularly with James in a dreadful slump from deep and frankly not looking 100% after a late-season injury.
On the other end, the Warriors unsurprisingly made their living behind the 3-point line. They led the league in frequency of perimeter shots, and they converted at a higher rate than anyone. Like Golden State, L.A. also struggles containing perimeter speed at times, and it allowed a higher than average amount of attempts from deep.
Opponents struggled to convert, yet it’s an open-ended question as to whether the Lakers had any part in that.
Moreover, Davis played marvelous defense against the Grizzlies, tallying 26 blocks. Nevertheless, given how rarely the Warriors venture rim-ward, he may have a more muted impact defensively.
Naturally, the defending champs are not without weaknesses after they stumbled their way to a No. 6 seed. Turnovers in particular have long-plagued this team, dating to their multi-championship run. There, the Lakers rate poorly, having finished No. 28 in forced turnover rate.
But since making late-season moves to shore up their depth, they’ve performed a bit better. And they looked more spry against the Grizzlies, with Dennis Schroder providing sound ball pressure.
The Lakers probably need to win the turnover battle, pressure the rim, and hope for continued 3-point luck to pull the mild upset.
Related: NBA Title Odds
Series Result Props
Those who like bigger payouts and/or series exact result markets can find applicable prices below. Naturally, with two closely matched teams, each is favored to finish the job at home if they come out on top. That is, the Lakers figure to win in six most often, while the Warriors would take it in seven.
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