NBA Odds: Warriors Favored In Series Again After Game 2 Win

The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2023 Playoffs as low seeds but with high expectations, and they’ve given us an interesting series through two games.

It is the first time that the teams have met in the postseason since 1993, and there are plenty of story lines to go around. There is of course the meeting between LeBron James and Steph Curry. There is the connection with Klay Thompson and his father, who played for the Lakers during that series in ’93.

Warriors Favorites Over Lakers After Game 2

And there is of course the basketball, where two older, established franchises meet in a clash of heavyweights with different styles of play. It may be one of the last times that we see all of these characters share a court at the same time, and the series could go 7 games, if the first two are any indication.

The Lakers were in control of much of Game 1, but a late flurry by the Warriors had the game coming down to its final possession. Los Angeles was able to steal a victory on the road, but couldn’t back it up two nights later. In Game 2, the starters for both teams were benched by the start of the 4th quarter, with the Warriors winning in a 27 point blowout.

Whose series is it to lose? The odds have flip-flopped twice already.

Before the series began, the Warriors were favorites to advance to the Western Conference Finals, starting with a designation of -148. That changed after the Game 1 performance from Anthony Davis and the Lakers, who became favorites at -160. But now that the Warriors showed their own dominance in Game 2, the odds are back in Golden State’s favor.

As of Friday morning, the Warriors are listed as a -135 favorite to win the series, with the Lakers coming in at +115.

Los Angeles is the underdog even though they have already stolen home court advantage. By winning Game 1 on the road, the Lakers now have the advantage in the home/away situation. The next two games will be played inside Crypto.com Arena in LA, so they certainly have a chance to secure their position in the series by winning their home games before heading back to San Francisco.

Game 3 will be played on Satruday evening and is scheduled to tip-off at 5:30PM Pacific.