NBA Predictions & Odds 5/2/23

Los Angeles Lakers (48-41) vs. Golden State Warriors (48-41)
May 2, 2023 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: Golden State Warriors -4.5; Over/Under: +228
(Get latest betting odds)

The Los Angeles Lakers pay a visit to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 at the Chase Center on Tuesday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers are coming into this series with plenty of momentum after taking down the Grizzlies s in a pretty comfortable six-game series. LeBron James led the team with averages of 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, Anthony Davis averaged 20.8 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game while D’Angelo Russell is averaging 16.7 points and 5.8 assists per game. As a team, the Lakers are scoring 112.2 points per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 31.0 percent from the 3-point line, but their win over the Grizzlies was more about their defense as they held the Grizzlies to just 104.7 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting from the field.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors took the scenic route on the way to the second round as they needed seven games to get past the Kings in an entertaining series. Stephen Curry has been leading the way with averages of 33.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, Klay Thompson is averaging 20.6 points, Andrew Wiggins is averaging 18.1 points while Jordan Poole is averaging just 12.0 points per game. As a team, the Warriors are scoring 115.9 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from the 3-point line as they went back and forth with the Kings in a close series, until Game 7 where Curry carried the Warriors over the line with a vintage 50-point performance.

Looking at the betting trends, the Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against a team with a winning record. The Warriors are 40-18-1 ATS in their last 59 home games and 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a win of more than 10 points.

Head to head, the Lakers are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings overall.

The Lakers are keeping an eye on Mo Bamba who is listed as questionable here, while the Warriors are coming into this one at full health. The Lakers have the slight advantage of extra rest as they haven’t played since Friday, but the Warriors have been so tough to beat at home all season and we already know Curry is in red-hot form. It’s tempting to take the Warriors at the short line given how good they’ve been at home all season, but the Lakers won the regular season series by 3-1 and I think they can pull off the ambush with a surprise win here.