Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors were at the heart of this week's trade deadline madness and now the dust has settled, expect a close-fought battle at the Crypto.com Arena.

Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler are the new kids on the block in California after an astonishing few days of NBA trading, though it's old hands LeBron James and Steph Curry who will help determine which of these Pacific Division rivals takes the win.

Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors prop bets - tips and predictions

Golden State Warriors +8.0 - 10/11

After a few days of trading the like of which the NBA has never seen before, we can get back to the action with a key Pacific Division dust-up between the Lakers and Warriors in Los Angeles.

LeBron's Lakers go into it in decent form, fifth in the Western Conference and after a day off.

Steph Curry's Dubs head to LA fresh from a dispiriting loss to Utah which left them below the play-in line and back on court for a second time in 24 hours.

The fixture has understandably been overshadowed by the midweek trades which saw Doncic swap places with Dallas-bound Anthony Davis at the Lakers and Butler arrive in the Warriors' locker room with Andrew Wiggins heading to Miami.

They are huge news events, certainly the Doncic trade, but the fact is that neither the Slovenian superstar nor Butler will be suited up at the Crypto.com Arena.

And, given the other players who left both camps as makeweights in those deals, it means both teams are short-handed.

So with the dust settled, it's back to a LeBron-Curry battle with a slightly different-looking support cast, and a sense that this could be close.

It was when the teams met on Christmas Day at the Chase Center where the Lakers got up 115-113. They met again a month later, also in San Francisco, and the Lakers won that time by 10, by 118-108.

Playing back-to-back is a negative for the 8-point underdog Warriors, though the Lakers are inconsistent and the absence of Texas-bound Davis does leave them shy of a pivotal defensive stalwart - their rebounding stats weren't pretty before he left.

And if Curry does anything well, it's breaking lines against an opponent minus a huge presence under the basket.

Home court advantage and the scheduling does the Lakers a favour, but Golden State have the tools to keep it tight.

Buddy Hield Over 19.5 Points, Assists & Rebounds - 20/23

Buddy Hield got plenty of minutes against Utah on Wednesday and weighed in with 18 points.

The shooting guard, firmly in Steve Kerr's starting five, played 31 minutes at the Delta Center, where he also added three rebounds and two assists.

Hield's first season at Golden State has seen him shine sporadically as a movement and stand-alone shooter. His 41.4 percentage record from three-point range is excellent and he will get opportunities.

In a game where over the points is a play, it could pay off to back Hield to exceed 19.5 points, rebounds and assists.

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Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors Money line, spread, over/under

	Money Line	Spread	Over/Under
Lakers	10/33	-8.0 - 10/11	Over 221.5 - 10/11
Warriors	53/20	+8.0 - 10/11	Under 221.5 - 10/11

Over 221.5 Points - 10/11

With key defensive components missing on both rosters, take the total points to go over 221.5.

Team leaders James and Curry are far less influential defensively these days but remain major threats at the other end.

Curry is averaging 22.4 points and will unload repeatedly from three-point range. James is averaging 24.1.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.