The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers meet Wednesday to open their 2026-27 NBA regular seasons. Tip-off from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California is set for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let's analyze NBA odds around the Warriors vs. Lakers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
2025-26 season series: Lakers won 3-1 in regular season, with a split in L.A.
The Warriors have an aging roster, but G Steph Curry remains a dangerous shooter, and he likely always will be. However, Fs Draymond Green and Al Horford are getting a little long in the tooth, while F Jimmy Butler (ACL) is likely out until January, and G Moses Moody (knee) won't be ready for a while, too. That means the Warriors will be behind the 8-ball
from the jump.
The good news is that the Warriors do have a few young pieces, as they try to re-stock the cupboard. The most exciting young player is rookie F Yaxel Lendeborg, the rookie from the Michigan Wolverines. He is a swingman who can wear a number of hats, if needed. G Brandin Podziemski (back) is another player trending up at just 23 years old, but he'll miss Wednesday's game due to a back injury. Look for a healthy dose of G De'Anthony Melton, while swingman Gui Santos will be leaned upon heavily early in the season, too.
For the Lakers, LeBron is no longer running the show. He is in the sunset of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. This is G Luka Doncic's team now, and his new partner in the offense is G Austin Reaves, while F Jake LaRavia and C Walker Kessler give the team some nice youth in the frontcourt. F Quentin Grimes will also be a heavy rotation player, with G Collin Sexton working in multiple roles in the backcourt.
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Warriors at Lakers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:01 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Warriors +185 (bet $100 to win $185) | Lakers -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Warriors +6.5 (-110) | Lakers -6.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 233.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Warriors at Lakers key injuries
Warriors
- F Charles Bassey (knee) questionable
- F Jimmy Butler III (knee) out
- G Stephen Curry (ankle) probable
- G Moses Moody (knee) out
- G Brandin Podziemski (back) out
- C Kristaps Porzingis (personal) out
Lakers
- G Cameron Carr (oblique) out
- C Walker Kessler (finger) available
- G Collin Sexton (calf) questionable
- F Adou Thiero (knee) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Warriors at Lakers picks and predictions
Prediction
Lakers 119, Warriors 107
Moneyline
PASS.
Lakers (-225) will set you back more than 2 times your potential return. That's way too much risk for not nearly enough reward for a straight up play. If you were to fold L.A. into a multi-leg parlay, that might be OK, but make it at least 3 ways.
Against the spread
BACK LAKERS -6.5 (-110).
Los Angeles is much healthier, especially Doncic, who is likely to hit the ground running against a banged-up and shorthanded Golden State side. Even if Jimmy Buckets and Podziemski were available to the Warriors, it would be an uphill climb for Golden State.
Over/Under
BET UNDER 233.5 (-110), mainly because it's hard to envision who will be able to roll up big points for the visitors.
Doncic is going to fill up the stat sheet, and Reaves will be right there alongside him. But, the drop-off is rather precipitous after that. L.A. might get into the 120's, but even then, that likely won't be enough to flip this to an Over in Game 1.
Best prop bet
Bet Warriors G DE'ANTHONY MELTON OVER 2.5 ASSISTS (-130).
Melton is going to see a heavy workload early in the season, and it shouldn't take much for Melton to get to 3 assists in this game. He could have this projection by halftime, in fact.
Betting odds calculator
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Follow Daniel Dobish on X at @danieledobish. Follow SportsbookWire on X at SportsBookWire and on Facebook.
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This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers odds, picks and predictions
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