The Los Angeles Lakers are rolling now that Pau Gasol is healthy heading into Saturday's match-up at 10:30pm EST against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers were good in sports betting odds even when Gasol missed the first part of the season but they have been great since he returned. The Lakers won their fourth straight game on Tuesday 100-90 over New York but didn't cover the spread as 14-point favorites in NBA odds. It was Gasol’s third game back and the Lakers dominated, especially on the boards, outrebounding the Knicks 60-36. Gasol had 11 points and 16 rebounds while Lamar Odom had 11 points and 16 rebounds. Andrew Bynum added 17 points and eight boards. Online sportsbooks have the Lakers -9 against the Warriors in sports betting odds with a total of 222.
"We like to use our height to our advantage," said Bynum. The Lakers should have a big edge against Golden State on Saturday. The Lakers have dominated the Warriors, winning 14 of the last 16 meetings. They are favored in NBA betting odds to make it 15 of 17. The Lakers had the game against New York well in hand but they got sloppy and didn’t cover the NBA odds. "We have to do a better job and put in the effort," Gasol said. "The intensity level just winds down, and we've got to continue to play hard for 48 minutes."
Golden State has been playing better of late but they are still one of the worst teams in sports betting odds. They lost 118-104 to San Antonio on Wednesday as 13.5-point road underdogs in NBA betting. Assistant coach Keith Smart has been coaching the team the last two games as head coach Don Nelson is out with pneumonia. One player that is happy Nelson is gone is guard Monta Ellis who has had issues with Nelson this season. Ellis had 37 points in the win at Dallas and a career-high 42 against San Antonio. "He can get to the basket whenever he wants, that will be there for him," Smart said. "We have to make sure he's ready to play every night. If your best player is ready to play every night, that's when you move to the next guy."
The Lakers are 0-4 in sports betting odds in their last 4 games as a road favorite. The Lakers are 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings at Golden State. The road team in this series is 12-4 in NBA betting in the last 16 meetings. The Warriors are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog. The Warriors are 40-14-3 ATS in their last 57 games as a home underdog. The Under is 10-4 in the Lakers last 14 games as a road favorite in NBA betting. The Under is 4-1 in the Warriors last 5 vs. the Pacific. The Over is 13-3 in the last 16 meetings between the two teams at Golden State.
Bergen's NBA Picks: The Lakers have been playing great with Gasol back in the lineup but is having difficulty covering the spread. The sports betting handicappers are all over the Lakers in tonight's game but I'm not so sure and I always love a home underdog. My NBA pick for tonight's NBA match-up will be to take the Warriors at home plus the points to the UNDER in a 2-team parlay. Vegas odds at Caesars sportsbook have the Lakers -8.5 favorites in sports betting odds against the Warriors with a total of 222. |
