The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors for the right to be the seventh seed in the Western Conference in the play-in tournament on Wednesday night.
All eyes are going to be on this game as it could be one of the highest-rated games of the entire playoffs this season. Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James in one game to determine who moves on and who has to play another game for another chance? Sign us up.
Whether you like the play-in tournament or not you have to admit that this is fun. The Lakers would not have been here if they could stay healthy but one extra game is not going to derail their chances of winning the NBA Championship.
The Lakers should dismantle the Warriors and at the center of it is going to be LeBron James. Sure, his ankle issues are a bit troubling, but he was playing out of this world and is coming up against a very favorable matchup against Golden State.
Chances are that LeBron James is going to get a triple-double in this game, and if so, you could cash out. WynnBET currently has the odds at +550 (opened at +600) for LeBron James to record a triple-double in tonight’s game against the Warriors.
This is free money people.
Why LeBron James is going to record a triple-double for the Los Angeles Lakers:
There are two primary lines of thinking when we examine why LeBron James is so sure to record a triple-double against the Golden State Warriors. The first is the fact that this is the play-in tournament and the Lakers are going to want to get out of it without having to play another game.
While it is not Game 7 of the NBA Finals, there is that extra gear that LeBron finds in the playoffs that he switches on and has insane performances with. This is one of those games. Not only do the Lakers want to get out of the play-in without a second game, but they want to prove that they shouldn’t be there in the first place.
The second line of thinking is simply looking at the matchup vs. Golden State. The Warriors are playing a smaller lineup and they match up absolutely terribly against the Lakers’ front line. They do have Draymond Green, who has a lot of experience guarding LeBron, but that is not going to stop the triple-double.
In fact, it makes it more likely. Green is no longer the elite defender he once was but he will get the respect from LeBron. So instead of going off for 40 points in this one, he will be able to exploit the mismatches that Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond are going to have at the rim.
Match that with the size advantage that the Lakers have over the Warriors and the rebounds almost feel like a given.
The Lakers are going to have to score a lot to make this statement over the Warriors and keep a strong Stephen Curry game from knocking the Lakers into the eighth seed game. A lot of scoring means more assists, size means more rebounds for LeBron and it is a foregone conclusion that he is going to score 10+.
It is free money, people.