Early Bettors Take Warriors Over Lakers For NBA Play-In Game

Early Bettors Take Warriors Over Lakers For NBA Play-In Game article feature image
Credit:

Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images. Pictured: Steph Curry, LeBron James

Bettors are feeling good about the Golden State Warriors for Wednesday's play-in matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers opened as 6.5 point favorites, but fell to 4.5-point favorites after big money came in on the Warriors. The total for the game is 220.

PointsBet said more than 80 percent of the money and the bets are backing the Warriors. At BetMGM, it's a bit more tame — with 63 percent of the tickets and 65 percent of the money on Golden State. DraftKings says 59 percent of bets and money are on the Warriors.

The Lakers are the No. 7 seed after a freefall down the standings with LeBron James and Anthony Davis missing time due to injuries. The Warriors enter as the No.8 behind Steph Curry's remarkable season which ended with the NBA scoring title.

The winner will become the No. 7 seed and play the Phoenix Suns (No. 2) in the official playoffs. The loser plays the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 8 spot and a first-round matchup against the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers and Warriors met three times during the regular season, with Los Angeles coming out on top twice.

The Lakers are still one of the top NBA title contenders according to oddsboards. They can be had at +500 at FanDuel.

Golden State is a massive longshot listed at 100-1 at DraftKings and an even longer 160-1 at FanDuel. The Brooklyn Nets are the consensus favorite to win the championship.

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About the Author
Darren is a Senior Executive Producer at The Action Network, covering all angles of the sports betting world. He spent two stints at ESPN, from 2000-06 and 2012-18, he regularly wrote for ESPN.com and contributed to ESPN shows, including SportsCenter and Outside The Lines. He also served as a business correspondent for ABC News, where he made appearances on the network’s flagship shows, including “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight” and “Nightline.” While at CNBC from 2006-2012, Rovell anchored five primetime documentaries, including “Swoosh! Inside Nike,” which was nominated for an Emmy. Rovell also contributed to NBC News, where he earned an Emmy as a correspondent for the network’s Presidential Election coverage.

Follow Darren Rovell @darrenrovell on Twitter/X.

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