Betsided

3 Bold Predictions for Warriors vs. Lakers on Opening Night

By Ben Heisler

\Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis is in a great spot with even better value to hit his prop bet on a double-double tonight at WynnBET.
\Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis is in a great spot with even better value to hit his prop bet on a double-double tonight at WynnBET. / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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The NBA season is back with two phenomenal games to get hoops bettors fired up for the return of basketball.

After the Brooklyn Nets and defending champion Milwaukee Bucks start off a rematch of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Game 1, the Los Angeles Lakers will attempt to bounce back from their early playoff exit to the Phoenix Suns from a season ago when they host the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center.

Over at WynnBET, the Lakers are currently listed as 3-point favorites and -160 on the moneyline. The Warriors are +140 to win straight up and the total has settled at 226.5, with -110 odds on both the over and under.

Let's get bold with a fun matchup in the night cap and dive into my three favorite betting predictions for tonight's game.

Want more bold betting predictions? Check out our top 3 for Nets vs. Bucks here!

Warriors at Lakers Bold Predictions for NBA Season Opener

  • Anthony Davis Double-Double (+145)
  • Draymond Green OVER 13.5 Assists + Rebounds (-125)
  • Warriors Win Outright (+140)

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Another stat sheet stuffer for Anthony Davis

I'm not buying the narrative that Anthony Davis now becomes the clear No. 3 option for the Lakers as part of their new Big 3. Maybe that changes over time, but Russell Westbrook has too much respect for both LeBron and A.D. to take the ball out of their hands on a new team in their first home game of the season.

Davis has the best matchup of anyone and especially early on, they'll want to get him some early looks and touches. He averaged 7.9 rebounds per game last year, but in the one game he played against Golden State, he went for 17 and 17. There's no reason he can't get another double-double tonight with plus-odds of +145.

My guy Peter Dewey and I are on the same side for this bold prediction in his three favorite prop bets for Warriors vs. Lakers.

Take Advantage of the Combined Assists + Rebounds for Draymond Green

Draymond Green's offense has completely disappeared from his game, so we might as well take advantage of what he does best: passing and rebounding.

In three games vs. the Lakers last year, Green averaged just under 13 combined assists + rebounds. The juice on this has already shifted towards the over, and the Lakers defense won't be anywhere near as good as their No. 2 ranking a season ago. Combined with the Warriors' improvement this offseason, I expect Green to keep distributing the ball well and hitting the over at 13.5 at -125 odds.

Lakers Letdown Coming in Game 1

The Lakers were 34-44-1 against the spread in 2021, and if you think that's due to LeBron James missing time, think again.

Since his arrival in Los Angeles, over the last three seasons, L.A. is just 115-132-4 against the spread. Public bettors love to back L.A., similar to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL and the Yankees in MLB.

We've already seen the line move from Lakers -5 down to -3 over at WynnBET, and it already feels inflated from the start. I'll back the Warriors on the moneyline on the road.

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