We knew that the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors would be a battle of behemoths, and we have been proved correct through three games.
They haven’t been the most exciting games. In Game 1, the Lakers were up by 14 in the fourth quarter before a furious comeback attempt by the Warriors cut the final margin to 5. Game 2 was a blowout in the Warriors favor as Anthony Davis struggled to be the factor that he was in the series opener.
Lakers Are Favorites Over Warriors For Game 4
“Stay off the TV and stay off social media. You win a game, everybody is the greatest player in the world. You lose a game, they throwing dirt on you.”
LeBron James on his advice to his teammates during the playoffspic.twitter.com/tgDycorEI1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 7, 2023
There was another blowout in Los Angeles during Game 3 on Saturday night. Golden State actually held a seven point lead after the first quarter, but the Lakers laid it on heavy for the remaining three. The Warriors were outscored 104-67 over the final three frames, and the starters for both teams were pulled out of the game with more than 9 minutes still remaining.
If history is any indication, there is a good chance that this series continues the back and forth all the way up until Game 7. In order for that to happen, the Warriors are going to have to pick up a win on the road, something that was elusive to them during the regular season. Golden State had 11 total road victories in 2022-23, more than only the Rockets, Spurs, and Pistons.
They’d better pick up that visiting team victory when the teams play again on Monday evening. The Lakers will be looking to take a commanding 3-1 lead before heading back to San Francisco for Game 5. As the sports books see it, the Warriors could be in danger of digging themselves a serious hole.
Lakers Favored In The Series, Too
As it stands on Sunday morning, the Lakers are currently 3.5-point favorites for the next contest. The home and away factor definitely plays into the spread, but the oddsmakers like Los Angeles to ultimately be victorious in the series.
The overall favorite has flip-flopped following every game after the Warriors started with the upper hand, but the gap between the teams is larger after Game 3 than we have seen it at any point so far. When the series started, the Warriors were listed at -148 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. After the three games and facing a 2-1 deficit, Golden State is now up to +180.
Oppositely, the Lakers feel like comfortable favorites. They began the series with a +128 designation, a number that has flipped to a favorable -210.
These numbers are of course subject to change with each passing game, as they have already. If the Warriors are able to overcome their status as an underdog on Monday and pull off the victory, then they’ll be headed home tied 2-2 and with their own chance to take the series lead.
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