Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State: The Lakers are determined

The Lakers still can’t get their first win of the preseason, and now they will try to break their bad streak in a home game against Golden State. Will the hosts be helped by the simultaneous appearance of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook?

The Lakers failed to make the 1st round of the playoffs last season, with injuries to their leaders being the main reason. The Lakers traded Russell Westbrook to offload Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the off-season in the off-season. The club’s payroll has become less flexible, forcing the signing of veterans on minimum contracts. The problems began before the start of the season. In 4 games, Los Angeles suffered four defeats. Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, and Trevor Ariza have been out of action for some time, while the day before Talen Horton-Tucker was seriously injured. LeBron was rested last game and may be back on the floor against Golden State.

The day before, Frank Vogel’s team fell to Phoenix 94-123 on their home court. Only two Lakers players scored more than 10 points, and Anthony Davis was not as efficient as he would have liked. The star big man had 19 points on 5 of 12 shooting. Carmelo Anthony made five three-pointers on seven attempts, and he was one of LA’s best offensively. Russell Westbrook scored only 8 points and committed nine turnovers. Another important factor was losing the battle on their basket, giving their opponents additional attacking opportunities.

Everyone expects the Warriors to make a run this season, and Klay Thompson’s return is one of the primary reasons for that. It remains to be seen whether Clay, having suffered two serious injuries, will be able to defend at his best, and he won’t return to the floor before the winter. Nevertheless, Golden State have assembled an exciting pool of young players, and Jordan Poole is already literally ripping through the preseason. He’s averaging 25 points in 3 games, hitting 4.6 three-pointers per game. Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman are still out due to injury, while Andrew Wiggins should be back in action for the Lakers game.

Steve Kerr’s men have won all three preseason games so far. After victories over Portland and Denver, the Warriors defeated the Lakers the day before, 121-111. Golden State made 56 three-pointers, 20 of which were successful. Steph Curry and Jordan Poole combined for 58 points, making them the protagonists of the game.

The Lakers under Frank Vogel are renowned for their defensive play, and just that aspect of the team has been sagging in preseason games. The Lakers were without Anthony Davis in their last face-off against the Warriors, yet they looked decent in an away game. Now all three of LA’s stars will be on the court simultaneously, which means that the home team is serious about snapping their losing streak. With Golden State, their entire game is now centred around Poole and Curry, and if they can shut down at least one of them, their chances of success will improve. Andrew Wiggins is unlikely to return from injury, and the Warriors’ role players have yet to shine. I suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• Рandicap 1 (-3.5) for 1.83;
• Total Over 227.5 points for 2.22.