Game Time: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, March 5th, 2022 

Venue:  Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles California

Where to Watch: ABC

DraftKings:  Spread:  Warriors -5.5 O/U 224

Fanduel:  Spread:  Warriors -6 O/U 224.5

BetMGM:  Spread: Warriors -5.5 O/U 224.5

Warriors: 43-20, 2nd place Western Conference

Lakers: 27-35 9th place Western Conference

A Western Conference battle of great players on very different teams.  Aren’t the Lakers due for a win after such a rough last two weeks… you know the two weeks that they have not gotten a win in?... Aren’t the Warriors due? The Warriors were for a brief time the best team in the West... then the Phoenix Suns took 1st place and ran away with it… but hanging in at #2 is the Warriors. The Warriors are all suffering from the injury absence of PF Draymond Green…, if you never thought about what lit the candle in Golden State… The answer is Draymond Green.  Draymond needs the Hall of Fame to get a wing ready for him…. Because he is not a big scorer.  Draymond leads the Warriors in most seasons in rebounds, assists, Steals, and TEAM.   TEAM is not a quantifiable stat… but you can see it.  The second round pick out of Michigan State who learned under PF David Lee while quietly taking the man’s job… and never being a jerk about it… has been the fulcrum that the weight of the Warriors is balanced off of.  PG Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in league history… but he could not have gotten there if Draymond didn’;t open the court for him and shoulder some of the pasing duties…. SG Klay Thompson is another great shooter… but he could not have gotten there if the baseline wasn’t completely patrolled which took so much of the pressure off…. Brooklyn Nets SF Kevin Durant gets too many flowers for his scoring… KD’s two rings and two Finals MVPs would not have been possible for a team guy like Draymond Green who held everything else down to free ujp Kevin… think I’m wrong?... Hasn’t KD been on all-star laden team without winning rings?... has KD ever won a ring or a Finals MVP without Draymond?... Will he ever again?.  Draymond makes the Warriors go and he is out… the Warriors have lost a lot of games with a lot of active all-stars…. But no active Draymond Green.  The Lakers have the best player of all time in LeBron James… the numbers say he is better than Michael and I bet $$ on numbers… but the Lakers built their team in a very odd way.  Now LeBron is stuck.  He is facing a half dozen guys in the locker room who have had much better basketball days… and PF Anthony Davis is out with injury AGAIN.  This may mean that the Lakers will be a surprise in the playoffs because everyone is all of a sudden healthy… but it most likely means they are over for a few seasons.  LeBron is the casualty of a team willing to build a team around the best player instead of around logic. PG Russell Westbrook does not fit.. And he doesn’t play PG… and he shouldn’t start.  SF Carmelo Anthony plays a good game every third game. PF Anthony Davis is hurt.  C Dwight Howard belongs on the scrap heap of memory and the only thing that would get this team wins is a time machine.

The Golden State Warriors have won only 3 of their last ten games.  A horrible patch of season for the #2 in the West Warriors.  They are only 1-8-1 ATS during that stretch.  With 6 Overs, 3 Unders and 1 Push.  The team still relies on all-time 3-point shooting champ PG Steph Curry and have still successfully reintegrated SG Klay Thompson after he missed 2 ½ seasons of play.  The Team still has SF Andrew Wiggins having his best year at 17.5 ppg, 4,2 rpg, and 2.2 apg.  The team still has a myriad of quality role players in Jonathan Kuminga, Jordan Poole, and Otto Porter Jr… the problem of course is without Draymond Green Center Kevon Looney can not hold down the paint and the Jenga puzzle topples down.  Two forms of relief are on the way !) Draymond will be back in two weeks… and Center James Wiseman, a 7-footer taken 2nd overall in 2020 will soon make his return after having missed the entire season.  This team will cruise into the playoffs with at least a top 3 finish while adding a new starting center and an old reliable power forward to the mix of aforementioned great players.  Thankfully for the Warriors they will be facing the dreadful Lakers who may just supply the “Get Right” game.

The Los Angeles Lakers have won just 2 of their last 10 games.  They are on a 4-game losing streak.  They have gone 4-5-1 ATS during that stretch.  PF Anthony Davis is missing time with an injury yet again and may not be back until a play-in game… if they get one.  We all know the story… LeBron James came here to write a closing chapter to his glorious career and after asserting his influence into an Anthony Davis trade (that the Lakers overpaid for)... he landed his fourth Championship ring and fourth Finals MVP.. that was 2 seasons ago in the bubble… It has been all downhill since.  LeBron kept asserting his influence over trades until the entire roster was made of all-stars from 10 years ago… Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and horribly Russell Westbrook.  A fun thing to think about is how the Lakers had an opportunity to get SG DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs, but instead opted for Russell Westbrook.  Russell by the way is not a bad player… just a terrible fit.  The Lakers are losing games with no end in sight… They lost to the Los Angeles Clippers for the finals time of the season and now have been officially SWEPT by their Crypto.com roommates.  Bad times for the Lakers.

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The Warriors are 43-20 on the season, but 30-29-4 ATS.  They have logged 27 Overs, 34 Unders, and 2 Push.  They are 17-13 in road games.

The Lakers are 27-35 on the season, but 26-35-1 ATS.  They have notched 33 Overs, 28 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 18-16 in home games.

The Warriors are 10th in scoring with 110.9 ppg, 8th in rebounds with 45.5 per game, and 10th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  On defense they rank 4th with 104.3 ppg.

The Lakers are 13th in scoring with 110.4 ppg, 16th in rebounds with 44.4 per game, and 23rd in AST/TO ratio with 1.6.  On defense they rank a lowly 26th while allowing 112.7 ppg from opponents.

Our prediction for Saturday, March 5th is….  Warriors 118 - Lakers 108

The Warriors will get right against the Lakers despite a big game from LeBron.  The Warriors are struggling for sure, but the Lakers are in free fall.

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Golden State is 513-491 ATS as a favorite since 1996.
The Lakers are 49-79 ATS off a road loss to a division rival since 1996.
The Lakers are 1-6 ATS after allowing 130 points or more in their last game.

Warriors:  C James Wiseman, SG Andre Igoudala, and PF Danny Green… are Out

Lakers: PF Antony Davis and PG Kendrick Nunn… are Out

Warriors: SF Gary Payton II, SF Andrew Wiggins, C Kevon Looney, SG Klay Thompson, PG Stephen Curry

Lakers: PF LeBron James, SF Austin Reeves, C Dwight Howard, SG Russell Westbrook, PG Malik Monk

Warriors: Steve Kerr

Lakers:  Frank Vogel