Warriors vs. Lakers prediction: Our pick for LeBron James against Stephen Curry /d

LeBron James and Stephen Curry have been on the opposite ends of some of the best postseason battles in NBA history.

They’ll add another chapter to their epic rivalry Tuesday when the Warriors host the Lakers for Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal matchup.

Golden State opens as the slight series favorite and is laying 4.5 points at home in this series opener, though it appears wiseguys are taking a shot on underdog Los Angeles following the team’s strong showing against Memphis in the opening round.

Here’s how we’re betting Tuesday’s contest, which tips off at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

Warriors vs. Lakers odds

Warriors vs. Lakers prediction and analysis

(10 p.m. ET on TNT)

Fresh off dropping a record-setting 50 points in Game 7 of the Warriors’ first-round win over the Kings, Curry was asked who, if anyone, can stop him.

“Hopefully,” he said, “we never find out.”

Don’t expect to find out in Tuesday’s Game 1, either, even against a Lakers team whose defense has been one of the best in the NBA since the trade deadline.

Los Angeles dominated its first-round series against the Grizzlies in large part because of its massive advantage inside, especially with injured big men Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke on the sidelines. ]

The Lakers averaged a ridiculous 9.2 blocks per game and held Memphis to just 102.8 points per 100 possessions – the third-worst mark of any team this postseason.
Steph Curry and the Warriors will face LeBron James and the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals.Getty Images
Much of that resulted from the Grizzlies’ total lack of spacing and reliable outside shooting, which funneled their best scorers to the paint and directly into Anthony Davis’ orbit.

That simply won’t be the case against the Warriors, who hit 15 threes on Sunday and averaged 13.6 makes per game in the first round.

Curry was at the center of it all, averaging 33.7 points and 4.9 made 3-pointers per game to power Golden State’s relentless attack.

He’s uniquely built to torment this red-hot Lakers defense, which is elite in the paint but lacks a true “stopper” on the perimeter – especially with James looking a step slower in his age-38 season.

He’s still punishing teams on the other end, though, as we saw in the first round (22.2 PPG, 11.2 RPG).

Yet he isn’t the biggest threat to the Warriors’ defense in this series.

That would be Davis, whose scoring prowess took a backseat in Round 1 (20.8 PPG) to his otherworldly defense inside.

He won’t have the same size advantage as he did against Memphis, but he’s still a matchup nightmare for the Warriors’ stout but undersized frontcourt.

His ability to force his way to the line is a key X-factor in this matchup: the Lakers ranked second in the regular season in free-throw rate (29.9%), while the Warriors’ defense ranked eighth-worst (27.8%).

On paper, neither team has a clear answer for how to stop the others’ biggest offensive threat, even as both defenses continue to shine bright over the back half of the year.

The latter is helping suppress this betting total for Game 1, but the former should ultimately help over bettors cash in Tuesday’s series opener.

Warriors vs. Lakers pick