Warriors vs. Lakers prediction, odds, line, spread: 2022 NBA picks, March 5 best bets from model on 71-44 run

Someone has to win on Saturday night when the struggling Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors face off in an NBA Western Conference matchup. The Lakers (27-35) will play their sixth straight game at Crypto.com Arena but have lost the last four, while the Warriors (43-20) face a fifth road game in their past seven and have lost three in a row. Both teams played Thursday night, with the Lakers losing 132-111 as the visiting team against the Clippers and Golden State stumbling 122-113 at Dallas. This is the third of four meetings this season, and the Warriors have won the first two — 121-114 in the season opener in L.A. and 117-115 at home on Feb. 12.

Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET in Los Angeles. Caesars Sportsbook lists Golden State as a 6.5-point favorite in its latest Warriors vs. Lakers odds, and the over-under for total points is set at 225.5. Before making any Lakers vs. Warriors picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model. 

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 71-44 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning more than $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Warriors vs. Lakers, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Lakers vs. Warriors:

• Warriors vs. Lakers spread: Golden State -6.5
• Warriors vs. Lakers over-under: 225.5 points
• Warriors vs. Lakers money line: Golden State -260, Los Angeles +210 
• Warriors: Steph Curry has 701 3-point tries, most in the league by 132 shots.
• Lakers: LeBron James averages 36.8 minutes per game, fourth-most in the NBA.

Why the Warriors can cover

Golden State is 30-29-4 ATS this season, including 14-9-1 with equal rest. It has won just two of its past nine games, but one of those was the last meeting with the Lakers. Klay Thompson scored 33 points in that game, hitting five of nine 3-point tries, and Steph Curry added 24. The shooting of the Warriors’ offensive prowess has not been an issue, as it is in the top 10 in scoring (110.9 points per game) as well as field-goal percentage (46.7) and 3-point shooting (36.1). The defense has really missed Draymond Green, who will miss a few more weeks with a back injury.

Golden State scores 110.9 points per game (10th in NBA), while the Lakers score 110.4 (13th), and the Warriors allow 104.3 (fourth) while L.A. yields almost 113 (27th). Golden State has the third-best point differential in the league. Curry makes 4.6 3-pointers per game, most in the NBA, and the team hits the second-most at 14.4. Curry hits 38.7 percent from outside and is the team’s leading scorer at 25.7 per game. Andrew Wiggins hits 40.6 percent of his 3-point tries and Thompson is at 37.7. Lakers opponents hit 34.8 percent, 15th-highest in the league. 

Why the Lakers can cover

Los Angeles is 18-6 ATS when coming off a loss, and James will have redemption on his mind Saturday. He had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds in the last meeting but missed the second of three free throws then intentionally missed the third as Golden State hung on. He had 26 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, and he will be even further riled up after the loss to the rival Clippers. He scored 34 points and had 11 rebounds in the season opener. James is third in the NBA in scoring and has had to carry the team with Anthony Davis (foot) banged up again.

James has scored at least 25 points in 26 of his past 27 games. Russell Westbrook (18.1 points) and Carmelo Anthony (13.6 points) have the experience to take advantage of the absence of Green. Westbrook also averages 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists. Malik Monk has emerged as another scoring option as the Lakers have dealt with numerous injuries, and he is scoring 12.7 points per game. L.A. should come out with a sense of urgency as it battles the Pelicans, Blazers and Spurs for the final two spots in the postseason play-in tournament.  

How to make Lakers vs. Warriors picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, predicting a combined 223 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Warriors vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.