The Lakers come out victorious, but by a very slim margin

The Lakers on paper should be able to easily beat the short-handed Warriors, but they are going to barely escape with a victory in this game. Maybe this is a good thing for the defending champions, as they can use this win to “springboard” themselves back into title contention, but they will definitely have a tall task ahead in a first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. 

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Ultimately, this game comes down to two factors that both favor the Lakers. The first being that the Lakers are at “full strength” as the Warriors are going to be without James Wiseman and likely without both Kelly Oubre Jr. and Damion Lee. The second factor is the fact that the Lakers are going to dominate the rebounding category. 

It would not be shocking to see the Lakers rebound the Warriors 70-35 or 65-40 in this game because of the size that they have over them and the lack of interior presence that Golden State has given the injury to Wiseman and their lack of frontcourt depth. 

This game could very well end up being a blow out if Curry’s shots are not falling, but both Curry and Wiggins are going to be taking a lot of shots in this game, which could result in Golden State being able to keep this game close. 

Overall though, it is hard to see a scenario where the Warriors are able to win this game in the Staples Center against the defending champions.