Warriors vs. Lakers Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, Oct. 21

The Warriors are road favorites in their season opener.

The Golden State Warriors and forward Jimmy Butler III are favored on Tuesday. / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers open the 2025-26 season without a familiar face in the lineup.

LeBron James (sciatica) has been ruled out for the Lakers to start the season, meaning he’ll miss a rivalry matchup with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.

With James out, oddsmakers have set the Warriors as road favorites in this season opener, as they believe that Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Curry have what it takes to beat the Lakers. 

Los Angeles is 1-6 in season openers in the James era, but this is the first time that Doncic has been on the team to open the season. The star guard is looking to have a bounce-back year after injuries derailed the early part of his 2024-25 campaign, which was headlined by his trade to Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the Warriors are aiming to show that the 23-7 mark that they achieved with Butler in the fold last season wasn’t a fluke.

These two teams should be in the mix to make the playoffs in the Western Conference this season, and this first meeting could end up being a different-maker in the final standings come April.

Let’s dive into the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for Tuesday night’s matchup. 

Warriors vs. Lakers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Warriors -2.5 (-105)
• Lakers +2.5 (-115)

Moneyline

• Warriors: -130
• Lakers: +110

Total

• 223.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Warriors vs. Lakers How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 21
• Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Crypto.com Arena
• How to Watch (TV): NBC/Peacock
• Warriors record: 0-0
• Lakers record: 0-0

Warriors vs. Lakers Injury Reports

Warriors Injury Report

• Moses Moody – out
• De’Anthony Melton – out
• Jonathan Kuminga – expected to play
• Jimmy Butler – expected to play
• Alex Toohey -- out

Lakers Injury Report

• LeBron James – out
• Maxi Kleber -- questionable
• Adou Thiero -- out

Warriors vs. Lakers Best NBA Prop Bets

Lakers Best NBA Prop Bet

• Austin Reaves OVER 22.5 Points (-111)

Austin Reaves should be in line for a heavy workload in Game 1 of the NBA season, as the Lakers need him and Doncic to handle the ball for most of the game with James out.

Last season, Reaves was a revelation in the games that James missed, averaging 27.9 points, 8.3 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game across nine games played with the star sidelined. On top of that, Reaves scored 23 or more points in six of those matchups. 

The shots are going to be there for Reaves on Tuesday, and he should be motivated to put up big scoring numbers in a contract year. The Lakers guard also will get stretches where he is the primary option on offense when Doncic is out of the game.

For a player that can get to the line and score at all three levels, Reaves may be undervalued at this number given the circumstances surrounding the Lakers’ offense and rotation. 

Warriors vs. Lakers Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m taking the Warriors to win outright in their season opener: 

There are a lot of interesting trends to dive into in this game, but with James out, I think the Warriors are the clear bet to make regardless of the odds on opening night.

The Lakers’ depth is going to be something to watch all season long, as they have questionable offensive options after Doncic, Austin Reaves and James, and lack elite defenders (unless Marcus Smart turns back the clock) on the perimeter.

Los Angeles has won just one season opener in the James era, and now it doesn’t have the All-NBA forward in action on Tuesday. 

Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt and others are going to be asked to step up in the rotation in this game, and I think Golden State is actually the deeper team. 

The addition of Al Horford gives the Warriors a massive upgrade to their center spot, especially since they should be able to space the floor much better around Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. Speaking of trends, Golden State was 23-7 with Butler in the fold last season, and it’s aiming to prove that was anything but a fluke. 

The Warriors were a much better all-around team once Butler joined the franchise, improving their free-throw rate while posting the best defensive rating in the NBA after the All-Star break.

Doncic is going to be a lot for the Warriors defense to handle – especially with the home crowd behind him – but the Lakers have moved to underdogs in this game without James for a reason. 

I’ll take Golden State to win outright on opening night. 

Pick: Warriors Moneyline (-130 at DraftKings)

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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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