- 1 Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers: an unbeaten Lakers offense against a Warriors team still without Butler and Moody
- 2 Golden State Warriors: allowing 123.0 points per game before the Denver win
- 3 Los Angeles Lakers: Doncic’s 52 in Utah and Reaves at 26.7 points a game
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
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- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers: an unbeaten Lakers offense against a Warriors team still without Butler and Moody 
Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are both listed out with knee injuries for Golden State, and Gui Santos left a game last week with left knee tendinitis. That’s three rotation players the Warriors have had to do without or manage as they try to climb out of a 1-3 start.
The Lakers visit Chase Center on Friday 30 October, tip-off at 10:00pm ET. It’s an NBA Cup group-play game in the West, and the second regular-season meeting in nine days after Los Angeles won 127-105 at home on opening night.
Los Angeles went into Tuesday’s home game against Portland at 3-0, first in the Pacific. They beat Golden State, then the Clippers 125-117, then Utah 132-123 on the road, scoring at least 125 points every time.
Golden State lost its first three games, to the Lakers, to Memphis 111-108 and in Phoenix 131-122, before winning 134-114 in Denver on Monday. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had 31 points and 12 rebounds that night and Stephen Curry scored 24 without missing a shot from the field or the line.
Both teams arrive on short rest. The Lakers play the Clippers on Wednesday, the second night of a back-to-back after Portland, and the Warriors play in Minnesota on Wednesday before flying home. Friday is the first game after that for both.
Golden State Warriors: allowing 123.0 points per game before the Denver win 
Through three games, Golden State scored 111.7 points per game, 20th in the league, and allowed 123.0, 22nd. The 134 points in Denver lifted the scoring side of that ledger, but the defense still gave up 127 to the Lakers and 131 to the Suns inside four days.
The win in Denver came from places the rotation hadn’t been getting production. Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick in June, scored his first 30-point game in his fourth NBA appearance and went 12 of 13 at the free throw line. Georges Niang and Al Horford combined for four threes off the bench.
Curry’s 24 in Denver followed a slow shooting start. Through his first two games he averaged 23.5 points but made only 29.4% of his threes, and 21 of his 24 against the Nuggets came after halftime.
Brandon Williams scored 20 in his first start of the season against Phoenix, and De’Anthony Melton had 25 on 8-of-13 shooting in the same game. Those numbers came in a loss, and Melton’s 25 followed two poor shooting nights to open the season.
Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski and Horford were all off the injury report going into the Denver game. Kristaps Porzingis was listed with an illness, and his availability on Friday matters for a team that gave up 22 more points than it scored against the Lakers last week.
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Los Angeles Lakers: Doncic’s 52 in Utah and Reaves at 26.7 points a game 
Luka Doncic scored a season-high 52 points in Utah on 25 October, on 17-of-30 shooting with 8 threes, plus 10 assists and 8 rebounds. Only Elgin Baylor and Jerry West had previously put up 50 points and 10 assists in a game for the Lakers.
Two nights earlier against the Clippers, Doncic had 23 points but a career-high 11 turnovers, and the Lakers still won by eight. Austin Reaves covered for him with 28 points and 9 assists, then added 29 in Utah, and he’s averaging 26.7 points and 6.3 assists.
Walker Kessler has given the Lakers a rim presence. He had 22 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals against the Clippers after a strong debut against Golden State. Against a Warriors team that relies on Horford and Porzingis for size, he’s the matchup we’d expect to tilt the glass.
The supporting cast has filled in around minor injuries. Cameron Carr (oblique) missed two games and is day-to-day, Adou Thiero (knee) has missed three in a row, and Jake LaRavia was expected back from an ankle sprain. Matisse Thybulle is averaging 9.0 points and Ziaire Williams scored 14 in his first start.
The open question for Los Angeles is fatigue. A back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday, then a flight north for a 10:00pm ET start, is the toughest stretch of the young season so far.
Probable lineup Golden State Warriors: Not announced at time of publication (Butler and Moody out; Santos and Porzingis questionable)
Probable lineup Los Angeles Lakers: Not announced at time of publication (Carr and Thiero day-to-day)
Free NBA Prediction: Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers
Our prediction: Los Angeles Lakers to win (moneyline)
We’re taking the Lakers. They’ve scored at least 125 points in each of their first three games, they beat this Warriors team by 22 on 21 October, and Reaves is averaging 26.7 points while Doncic scored 52 in Utah on Sunday. Odds hadn’t been posted at the time of writing, and we’d want 1.45 or longer before playing it.
Golden State’s win in Denver doesn’t change the defensive numbers enough for us. The Warriors allowed 123.0 per game through their first three, and they’re still missing Butler and Moody on the wing, two players who’d normally take minutes on the perimeter.
The case against is the schedule: Los Angeles plays its third game in four nights, and Curry found his touch in the second half in Denver. We still trust the Lakers’ offense over Golden State’s defense, and we’d back the visitors to make it 2-0 in the season series.
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