Just when it looked like the Golden State Warriors were vulnerable this season, they get a convincing win to silence the critics.
The Warriors look like they will be the top overall seed in the Western Conference again this season, but they still have work left to do. Golden State will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers on Thursday night.
Golden State has won four of their last five games to improve their record to 53-24 on the season. The Warriors now have a two game lead over the Denver Nuggets for the top seed in the Western Conference. Los Angeles has actually been playing better of late, winning four of their last six games.
The Lakers come into this game with a record of 35-43. Golden State is a -13.0 point favourite in this game.
No LeBron For Los Angeles
With the Lakers out of the playoff race this season, LeBron James has been shut down for the remainder of the regular season. LeBron was leading the team in almost every offensive category this season, including 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. This was not the way this season was supposed to go for the Lakers, but they are going to make sure that their leader is refreshed heading into next season.
Los Angeles has been a bad defensive team all season long, allowing 113.7 points per game. This could be a huge problem when they are trying to stop the second highest scoring team in the entire league. Not only is LeBron James out for this game, but Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart are all expected to miss this game. The Lakers average 112.0 points per game, but they are missing all of their top scoring options.
Durant, Curry Carrying Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have plenty of weapons on offense, but Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry have been the biggest stars this season. Curry leads the team with 27.7 points per game, but Durant is right behind him at 26.5 points per night. Klay Thompson has been shooting great of late as well, and is shooting better than 40 percent from the three-point line on the season. There is no doubt that the Warriors will be looking to light it up in this game.
The Warriors share the ball extremely well when they are rolling on offense, and lead the league with 29.4 points per game. Milwaukee has actually taken over the scoring lead from the Warriors, but Golden State is still averaging 117.7 points per night. Golden State has given up points on the other end of the floor, allowing close to 112 points per night.
Warriors Blow Out Lakers
The Golden State Warriors know when it’s time to flip the switch, and they appear to have done that. The Warriors are trying to get into playoff mode, and they aren’t going to mess around in this game.
Los Angeles has a depleted roster, and this game won’t be close. Bet the Golden State Warriors -13.0 over the Los Angeles Lakers.