Lakers vs. Warriors Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, April 9

Another chapter in the LeBron James vs. Steph Curry book is set for Thursday night.

James and the Los Angeles Lakers are set as road underdogs with Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) out of the lineup on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Golden State has listed Curry as questionable for Thursday’s game, which is the front end of a back-to-back for the Warriors.

Curry recently returned from a 27-game absence due to a knee injury, but he’s looked solid since then, scoring 46 points over two games against Houston and Sacramento.

Golden State is going to end up in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game in the NBA’s play-in tournament, but the Lakers have a ton to play for with a top-four seed still on the line.

Can James lead his team to an upset after a blowout loss to Oklahoma City earlier this week?

Let’s take a look at the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for this Western Conference clash.

Lakers vs. Warriors Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Lakers +4.5 (-110)
Warriors -4.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Lakers: +160
Warriors: -192

Total

225.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Lakers vs. Warriors How to Watch

Date: Thursday, April 9
Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Chase Center
How to Watch (TV): Prime Video
Lakers record: 50-29
Warriors record: 37-42

Lakers vs. Warriors Injury Reports

Lakers Injury Report

Austin Reaves – out
Luka Doncic – out
Jaxson Hayes – out
Marcus Smart – questionable

Warriors Injury Report

Steph Curry – questionable
Jimmy Butler – out
Moses Moody – out
Charles Bassey – questionable
LJ Cryer – probable
Al Horford – out
Kristaps Porzingis – out
Quinten Post – out
Will Richard – doubtful
Gui Santos – questionable

Lakers vs. Warriors Best NBA Prop Bet

Lakers Best NBA Prop Bet

LeBron James 9+ Assists (-166)

In today’s best NBA props column for SI Betting, I shared why James is worth a look in this market:

This season, Lakers star LeBron James is averaging 21.5 points, 10.5 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game in eight games without Luka Doncic in the lineup. Now, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has the lead role for L.A. with both Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined for the rest of the regular season (and potentially more).

James is averaging 7.1 assists per game this season, but he’s picked up 15 and 12 dimes in the last two games he’s played without Doncic.

Now, he takes on a Golden State team that is definitely beatable as the Lakers try to hold on to a top-four seed in the West. I’m expecting a big game from LeBron, especially since the Warriors are just 17th in the league in opponent assists per game.

Lakers vs. Warriors Prediction and Pick

There are a ton of players out of the lineup on both sides, and with Curry’s status up in the air, I’m going to take the UNDER.

The Warriors combined for 215 points in their last game with the Sacramento Kings, and the Lakers’ offense has struggled a bit without Doncic, failing to reach 100 points in two of its last three games.

In fact, the Lakers are averaging 116.3 points per game in the 2025-26 season, but that number drops to 113.9 when Doncic is out of the lineup. Now that L.A. doesn’t have Austin Reaves either to pick up the slack, a lot of pressure is being put on James and the Lakers’ role players to step up their scoring.

Golden State is just 20th in the NBA in points per game in the 2025-26 season, and this total could end up dropping quite a bit if Curry sits.

Even though the Warriors are one of the best OVER teams in the NBA this season (hitting it in 59.5 percent of their games), I think the plethora of injuries on Thursday is too much to overlook.

Pick: UNDER 225.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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