The Golden State Warriors have survived Game 5 of the West Semis against the Los Angeles Lakers, but the NBA champions now have an even greater challenge ahead of themselves as they head for LA. The Crypto.com Arena awaits these two units and around 20 thousand Lakers fans. This is the biggest challenge in the current campaign for Steph Curry and the boys, who will have LeBron and in-form Anthony Davis across themselves.
- Warriors Odds +118
- Lakers Odds -140
- Spread Lakers -3.5
- Over/Under 223
Preview
Golden State Warriors (+118) is in one hell of a situation, but the mentality this team has shown us in the past is that we can’t write them off, no matter the adversity that stands in front of this crew. Steph and the boys can explode at any given moment and drop 30 or more points in two quarters.
We saw them sharp in Game 5, not allowing the Lakers to be in charge and to dictate the pace at any time. The final result, 121-106, says it all, with the Warriors pouring 70 points in the first half. It was a Dub Nation in its best possible edition.
Steph had 27 points and eight assists, Andrew Wiggins scored 25, and Draymond Green posted a double-double with 20 buckets and 10 boards. Klay wasn’t in the mood last night, only 10 points, while Jordan Poole scored 11 off the bench, 1-for-6 for three. Klay hit one more in the same number of shots.
LA Lakers (-140) were stiffed in this one. They couldn’t do anything to stop the rivals, and what was even worse for the LAL, Anthony Davis’ suffered an injury that saw him leave the game and sit in a wheelchair. Now, according to the latest intel, AD is ok; he received a brutal hit in the head but will play in Game 6. Kevon Looney accidentally hit his opponent, just to add that as well.
The Eyebrow is the crucial part of this unit, and with all due respect for LeBron, the biggest contributor, due to his impeccable defense. He’s by far the top blocker in the playoffs, and his other qualities in defense are making a huge difference in the Lakers’ favor.
AD scored 23 points in Game 5, having nine boards, too, 10-for-18 from the field. LeBron James had 25 with nine boards, while D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves both had 15 points each.
Head-to-Head Games
The Lakers won three of four season meetings and currently lead 3-2 in the playoffs. After snatching the opening game of the series at the Chase Center, they were better than the Warriors in both events in LA before losing Game 5. They now have a chance to close the semis and reach the West finals.
Prediction
The Over/Under line for Friday’s clash is 223 points, which is too much, in our opinion, because the Lakers play a bit more physical basketball at home in the playoffs, and their defense is more rigid than usual. Davis will be fine per sources, and with AD in the paint, things will be much tougher for the Warriors. That’s why we pick under for Game 6 and avoid making predictions on who will win this contest.
Pick: Under 223 points -110
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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