The LA Lakers snatched Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors and now have the home-court advantage in the series with the reigning NBA champions. We don’t need to say that this matchup creates the most attention of all in this year’s NBA Playoffs. The Warriors need to respond after this loss; otherwise, this series could be over soon. But if they bounce back like against the Kings and erupt, everything is possible. Meanwhile, LeBron and the Lakers are playing excellent basketball in the playoffs, reminding everyone that the purple and gold are not to be underestimated, no matter the circumstances.
- Lakers Odds +180
- Warriors Odds -220
- Spread Warriors -5
- Over/Under 227.5
Here is the preview for Knicks vs. Heat Game 3.
Preview
LA Lakers (+180) held off a strong push of the rivals in the last few minutes, once the Warriors scored 14 straight points to level the score at 112 all. It was D’Angelo Russell who made a three on the other end to pull away the Lakers and bring them a win in the opening game of the series.
Anthony Davis was the key again, scoring 30 points and grabbing 23 boards. But that’s not all, he dished five assists and had four blocks, one on Steph Curry in the last minute, which eventually made a big difference. With all due respect to LeBron, this guy is the heart and the soul of the Lakers’ team.
James scored 22 buckets with 11 boards, while Denis Schroder added 19 off the bench, having the same number of points as Russell. The Lakers made only six threes in 25 attempts but had 53 boards, which is impressive.
Golden State Warriors (-220) made 21 threes in 53 tries which is solid, but the unbelievable data are their only six free throws. We haven’t seen this happening in a while, especially to Curry, who had one shot from the foul line in the entire event.
Steph scored 27 points, Klay scored 25, and Jordan Poole added 21. Each of these guys nailed six threes apiece. Overall, they played good basketball but showed up late when the Lakers already had a double-digit lead. Poole had a chance to tie the game, but he missed a long three.
Kevon Looney again dominated in the paint, having 23 boards, but he couldn’t guard Anthony Davis properly. Overall looking, the Warriors had a good game, but they couldn’t triumph due to the free-throw difference. We didn’t say that the Lakers had 29 shots from the foul line.
Head to Head Games
The Lakers finished the regular-season series with a 3-1 lead over the Warriors. Tuesday’s playoff win, 117-112, was the second time that the LAL triumphed in San Francisco this year, which is a big plus for LeBron and the guys.
Predictions
One thing is certain; this is just a beginning of a ferocious series and one long battle between these two units. Sure, the officials pushed the Lakers a little bit in the opening event, but the Warriors had their chances to win or flip the result of this contest. The over/under line is set at 227.5 points, and in our opinion, we are ahead of another high-scoring event on Thursday night. That’s why over sounds like a good idea.
Pick: Over 227.5 points
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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Email: nikola@wagerbop.com
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