Why the odds are stacked against Stephen Curry for the Lakers-Warriors play-in game

One of the most anticipated games of the year is set for Wednesday. The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors will face off for the fourth time this year at 10:00 p.m. ET in a high-stakes play-in game. The seventh seed in the Western Conference is up for grabs, and basketball fans will be gifted with a battle royale that features Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. While there’s plenty of star power to get excited about, the game might not be as close as you think it will be.

The Lakers have beaten the Dubs handily in two of the last three meetings between these teams but are surprisingly only 4.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. Curry’s ridiculous shooting streak has a lot to do with that. The 2020-21 scoring champ is averaging 32 points per game with an outlandish 65.5 TS%. Curry has averaged more than 36 points per game since the beginning of April. The Lakers have the league’s best defensive rating (106.8), though, and have been among the best at stopping Curry from getting hot this year.

Curry is shooting 48.2% from the field and 42.1% from deep this year. Both percentages are significantly lower against Los Angeles. The Lakers have held Curry to 23 points per game through three meetings. He’s shot 42.1% from the field and 34.6% from the field. The Warriors’ entire team has struggled to score on Los Angeles. The Dubs have shot 43% from the field or worst in each of their last matchups against the Lakers. The Orlando Magic have a league-low team field goal percentage of 42.9%.

It would take a massive turnaround for the Warriors to get a win, so the Lakers seem like the best bet against the spread and on the moneyline at -190.