Lakers-Warriors Preseason Clash: How to Watch, Odds, Predictions, and More

The two Pacific Division nemeses head to Vegas on Tuesday night.

Apr 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers, will face off on neutral territory Tuesday night for the first of two scheduled preseason battles. The two bitter Pacific Division rivals will play at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena for a late-night battle loaded with Hall of Famers, as L.A. looks to improve its preseason record to .500 (the team is currently 1-2) and the Warriors hope to keep their preseason tally unblemished (they're undefeated at 4-0).

How To Watch

The bout will tip off at 7 p.m. PT, and will be broadcast nationally on NBA TV. Los Angeles-area fans can tune in via Spectrum SportsNet or its streaming sister channel, Spectrum SportsNet+. Fans on the go can tune in via ESPN LA 710/1330 KWKW. This will be the two teams' first meeting of the 2024-25 preseason.

Odds

Golden State is a +7.5 favorite against Los Angeles heading into the matchup tonight, according to betting aggregator The Action Network. Clearly the team's new depth along the wing is seen as an edge.

Predictions

It's hard to predict the outcome of a preseason game, considering that starters are held out of all or most of these exhibition contests' second halves. So let's talk individual players. Guard Quincy Olivari has impressed of late, and could be in line to once again be featured far more than he will be during the regular season. Let's see if he can make the most of it against the Warriors' revamped backcourt. Meanwhile, look for Dalton Knecht and Max Christie to continue to hunt out offensive opportunities of their own, knowing they'll be doing battle for key minutes in the Lakers' fairly undetermined bench rotation

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The Warriors will be without starting shooting guard Brandin Podziesmki, who broke his nose during a lopsided 111-93 preseason blowout win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. The 6-foot-4 Santa Clara product, whom the Lakers passed over in favor of project point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, incurred the injury after he ran into the elbow of teammate Trayce Jackson-Davis.

One-time Golden State All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins, however, will make his first start of the preseason after missing the Warriors' previous four games (all wins) with an undisclosed illness, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. "I feel good," Wiggins said. "I've been working hard on extra stuff to get my conditioning back."

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