The Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers are both on a tailspin, but one of them is going to end their losing streak this Sunday. Will the Warriors go 3-0 this season versus Los Angeles? Or, will LeBron James and the Lakers end their winless drought?
Catch this game live on Sunday, March 6, at 9:30 AM, Manila time
Away: Golden State Warriors (43-20/17-13 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Stephen Curry
- SG: Gary Payton II
- SF: Klay Thompson
- PF: Andrew Wiggins
- C: Kevon Looney
The Warriors are not doing very good at the moment, having lost all of their last three games. Their woes go beyond that, as they are also 2-7 straight up in their last nine games overall, dating back to the first half of the season. Golden State failed to stop its skid in a 122-113 road loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, but the Warriors appear to have the perfect opponent up next. The Warriors have defeated Los Angeles in both meetings they’ve had so far this season.
They took down the Lakers on Oct. 20 (121-114) on the road then scored another victory (117-115) against the same team at home on Feb. 13. Much has been said about Stephen Curry’s struggles, but he’s started to pick it up again. He went 8/15 from the field and 4/5 from behind the arc in the loss to Dallas. Curry is averaging 25.7 points this season while shooting 37.8 percent from the floor. Andrew Wiggins is right behind him with 17.5 points on 47.4 FG%. The Warriors’ defense that is fourth in the league with 104.3 points allowed per game will be a tough challenge for an LA team that has averaged just 103.3 points in its last three outings.
Home: Los Angeles Lakers (27-35/18-16 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Russell Westbrook
- SG: Austin Reaves
- SF: LeBron James
- PF: Trevor Ariza
- C: Dwight Howard
The Lakers need something drastic to right their ship, but how exactly is that going to happen is a big question, especially since the trade deadline is over. They are coming off a crushing 132-111 loss at the hands of the LA Clippers last Friday. They have won just three of their last 14 games and all of their most recent four contests. But the losses are not stopping LeBron James from being an efficient offensive threat. In the past five Lakers games, the four-time league MVP scored an average of 27.6 points on 51 FG%, though he only shot 30% from deep.
Help has been hard to come by for The King, with Anthony Davis sidelined and Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk, and Russell Westbrook consistently testing Lakers fans’ patience with their inconsistency. Whatever the case is, the Lakers will continue to lean on James, who scored 26 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and dropped eight dimes in the Lakers’ February loss to the Warriors. Monk, Austin Reaves, and Talen Horton-Tucker combined for 42 points off the bench in the game. It would be a tremendous boost to say the least for the Lakers if those three step up again this Sunday.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread:
Trust the Lakers at your own risk. We picked the Lakers to cover in their last meeting with Golden State, which they did, but it’s becoming harder and harder to trust Los Angeles. That team’s morale is simply down. The Warriors are also struggling, but they don’t seem to have any turmoil that the Lakers are going through. Taking the Warriors to cover (-5.5).
Over/Under:
The Warriors are going to have their way against the Lakers, while Los Angeles struggles to keep up on offense. The total will hit the Under (224.5).
