The Golden State Warriors travel to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening week of the 2021-22 NBA season. This is a clash between two potential playoff contenders, and we look forward to how the off-season changes affect the performance of both teams.

Before the season tips off, NitroBetting brings the latest basketball previews at your fingertips. Below, we help you lock in on the best picks by providing essential and crucial information. From event details, team and player statistics, all the way to the latest NBA odds, we have it all for you. Furthermore, we go the extra mile by sharing timely betting trends and our very own expert betting predictions. Don’t forget to check out for more Basketball betting odds and lines at our online Bitcoin sportsbook.

Warriors vs. Lakers Game Information

Target Acquired. Season Tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/7rDGyILAvq

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 18, 2021

• When: Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 10:00 PM ET
• Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
• TV: TNT
• Radio: 95.7 THE GAME (Warriors) / 710 ESPNLA (Lakers)
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Betting Odds: Golden State Warriors (+3.5) / Los Angeles Lakers (-3.5)

READ MORE: Celtics vs. Knicks 2021 NBA Odds and Preview – October 20th, 2021

Why Bet on the Los Angeles Lakers?

The Warriors reached the Play-in Tournament last season despite just having Stephen Curry as their true star playing most of the time But this season, they have an improved roster with a recovering Klay Thompson set to return soon. Although the star guard won’t suit up in the early stages of the regular season, there’s a good chance that he makes it just before or after the All-Star break.

The Warriors did well to get some heat in the legs before the regular season starts, and with Andre Iguodala back in the lineup, we get to enjoy more of his veteran traits on the floor and provide the team some much-needed leadership.

In five preseason games, the Warriors completed a five-game winning streak, which featured a 111-99 victory against the Lakers. What makes this win more significant is both teams had their starters on the floor for a good amount of time. Moreover, in all five games, the Warriors scored no less than 111 points and averaged 118 points per game.

Defensively, we witnessed productive measures from the team in the preseason. Despite not going full throttle on that end of the court, the team managed to allow opponents to score an average of 106.6 points per game in the last 5 contests. We expect their defense to go up a notch in the coming weeks as the 2020-21 season takes off.

Why Bet on the Phoenix Suns?

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the hottest teams in the league right now since the coming together of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. After winning their first championship together in the bubble, the team disappointed following a first-round exit last season. But this time around, they have more reinforcements added to the roster. It was a busy off-season for the team, and everyone has high expectations for this team.

Reinforcements came in the form of hardened players like Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard, and Rajon Rondo. Additionally, Austin Reaves, Kendrick Nunn, and Talen Horton-Tucker provide some youthful energy to the mix. Overall, we expect to see a well-balanced team as head coach Franck Vogel tries to find the right player combination from this deep squad.

In their most recent preseason campaign, the Lakers failed to win any of their games. In six games, the team averaged 103.5 points and allowed 118.5 points per game. Moreover, they were held to 99 points or below in three of those contests. While this alone is not an accurate indication of how they will perform in the regular season, it might just be a case of the team holding back and limiting fatigue.

Setting aside the preseason numbers, the Lakers remain one of the most anticipated teams this year. It will be great to see LeBron face Curry again knowing their history, and we know that a Warriors vs. Lakers matchup will never dampen the spirits of basketball fans and bettors.

Warriors vs. Lakers Betting Trends

• The Warriors are 6-4 on the road in their last 10 regular season games against the Lakers.
• The Warriors are 3-2 against the spread in their last 5 regular season games on the road against the Lakers.
• The totals went over in 4 of the Warriors’ last 10 road games against the Lakers.
• The Lakers are 3-2 against the Warriors in their last 5 home games.
• The Lakers are 5-5 against the spread in their last 10 home games against the Warriors.
• The totals went under in 6 of the Lakers’ last 10 games.

Warriors vs. Lakers Expert Betting Prediction

It will be tough to declare a surefire winner in this contest, but having the homecourt advantage and a better roster on paper gives the Lakers the upper hand in this one. We saw the Warriors thrive in the preseason, which makes us believe that this game goes down to the wire, so covering the spread should be a doable job for the team. But until both teams step inside the court, the Lakers remain the favorites here.

This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at NitroBetting news. Stay tuned for more NBA game previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest Basketball betting odds on the sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.