The NBA play-in tournament will treat us to a fascinating affair on Wednesday between the defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers (42-30) and the Golden State Warriors (39-33).
Bookmaker Bovada believes there will be fireworks right from the tip-off with the odds for the first half to produce the most points at -150. The odds are at +110 for the second half to be the highest-scoring one and a huge +5000 for both halves to produce the same amount of points.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 18th, 9:00 P.M. (EST)
The Lakers won the regular-season series 2-1 between the two and the Warriors actually boast only one win in the matchup across the past two seasons, but LeBron James’ crew looks vulnerable at the moment.
The King has struggled to stay healthy this season and the team lacks quality on both ends of the floor without him on the court. LeBron played in only 45 games during the regular season, which led to the team taking a nose-dive in the standings, and they now find themselves in the play-in tournament.
However, the Lakers at least picked up some form ahead of the battle for the two final seeds in the Western Conference winning five games on the trot to close out the regular season. It was a great year for James as when he was healthy he averaged 25 points per game with 7.8 assists and 7.7 rebounds.
Golden State gained momentum ahead of the play-in tournament as well with six consecutive wins. Stephen Curry was mostly unconscious during the second half of the season and ended up winning his second scoring title by averaging 32 points per game. He joined Michael Jordan as the only players aged 33 or older to win the regular-season scoring title.
Curry has been going off against everyone and everywhere since the All-Star break dropping 40-point games like they are nothing and even throwing in a 53-point performance into the mix. The Lakers rank first in defensive efficiency, but even they should find it extremely difficult to slow down the former MVP.
However, it remains to be seen if Curry’s efforts are enough here. LeBron has Anthony Davis as a sidekick and Andre Drummond can be a major force in the paint while the Warriors don’t have the same depth they used to have during their incredible run of five straight finals appearances. The big stars take the spotlight, but the outcome of the game will largely depend on the supporting cast.
