The 2022-23 season will begin with 2022 NBA opening night on Tuesday and the defending-champion Golden State Warriors will hoist their fourth championship banner in the last eight years before taking on the Los Angeles Lakers. The teams met on NBA opening night a season ago with Golden State winning 121-114 on the strength of a fourth-quarter comeback. The Lakers would go on to miss the playoffs despite having a superstar trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook and they'll start this season running it back with that group despite offseason trade rumors surrounding Westbrook.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET at the Chase Center in San Francisco, where the Warriors have won 14 of their last 18 games against the Lakers. Caesars Sportsbook lists Golden State as the 7.5-point favorite in the latest Warriors vs. Lakers odds. The over/under for total points is set for 223.5. Before making any Lakers vs. Warriors picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four seasons. The model went a stunning 88-60 on all top-rated NBA picks last season, returning more than $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Warriors vs. Lakers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Lakers vs. Warriors:
- Warriors vs. Lakers spread: Warriors -7.5
- Warriors vs. Lakers over/under: 223.5 points
- Warriors vs. Lakers money line: Warriors -320, Lakers +250
- LAL: The Lakers were 18-23 against the spread in 2021-22 road games
- GSW: The Warriors were 32-19-2 against the spread in 2021-22 home games
- Warriors vs. Lakers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Lakers can cover
Los Angeles is coming off an abysmal season where it finished 11th in the Western Conference and missed the play-in tournament with a 33-49 record. The Lakers fired Frank Vogel and brought in former eight-year NBA veteran and long-time Bucks assistant Darvin Ham to take over. And now they're looking to take some drastic measures to shake up the rotation and find a spark with a roster that has only undergone minor changes.
The Lakers are considering using Westbrook off the bench though he may remain in the starting lineup temporarily with Dennis Schroder (thumb) out. Patrick Beverley also joins the roster and Ham will be hoping that he can significantly upgrade a defense that ranked 28th in the NBA in points allowed per game (115.1). The Lakers have covered in two of their last three head-to-head matchups with the Warriors and are hoping that having their three superstars healthy to start the year and a new staff can reverse their fortunes.
Why the Warriors can cover
Golden State has one of the most impressive blends of veteran and young talent in the league. Curry and Klay Thompson form one of the most feared shooting duos in NBA history and they're both still playing at an extremely high level in their 30s. Jordan Poole was a breakout star for the Warriors last season as the now 23-year old averaged 18.5 points per game. Recent lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are both ready to step into larger roles this season.
Despite regularly being listed as a substantial favorite, Golden State was still a very profitable team to bet on last season. The Warriors went 54-46-4 with that 54% cover rate ranking ninth in the league. The Lakers, meanwhile, were substantially overvalued last season, covering just 42.7% of the time.
How to make Lakers vs. Warriors picks
The model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 222 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Warriors vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
