The start of the NBA season has actually been a lot of fun. The teams have looked good; they are enjoyable, and the betting has gone very well for me. I have a major move tonight in the Hornets-Wizards game, and I’m looking to score more in another early-season matchup. We’ve already seen this one play out this season, but I have a lot of excitement for the game between the Lakers and Warriors that takes place tonight at Golden State.
The Lakers are now the Luka Lakers. There is no more LeBron, and the keys have been handed over to one of the top assets in the entire league. How has that worked out for Los Angeles through the early portion of the season? The team is 4-1, with the lone loss coming against a surprisingly good Portland team. To start the season, they’ve beaten the Warriors by 22, the Clippers by eight, the Jazz by nine, and the Clippers by 16. None of those three teams will be playoff contenders.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic celebrates his three-point basket during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
They now take on the Warriors for the second time in the early season as part of the NBA Cup Group Play. This is the third game in four nights for the Lakers, but not a back-to-back. Still, legs could be a bit tired. However, this is almost certainly a game that Luka circled on the calendar. On Opening Night, Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg was yapping at Luka for much of the game, and then doubled-down with comments about him in the media. Luka does not back down, and Luka does not forget.
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In fairness to Lendeborg he was quite effective when guarding Luka directly. However, the Lakers crushed the Warriors and moved on. Now the Warriors get a chance to return the favor. It hasn’t been a great season for Golden State so far with two wins and three losses. However, the Warriors did win back-to-back games on the road with very good performances against the Nuggets and the Timberwolves. Lendeborg was the leading scorer in the win over the Nuggets, and Stephen Curry went ballistic in Minnesota.
Yaxel Lendeborg of the Golden State Warriors shoots a free throw against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second quarter of a preseason game at T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 13, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nev. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 101-89. (Getty Images)
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The Warriors are not really in a rebuild, but they are in something much worse. They don’t seem to really understand what they are trying to do with the roster. They still have Steph playing at an elite level. However, the rest of the roster is filled out with guys who would be better at filling roles than filling holes. Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis are both on the wrong side of 30 and have injury issues. If they do come back and play well, maybe the Warriors can compete, but until then, the team will have to lean on Lendeborg.
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Guard Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a foul call in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
Tonight will be a challenge for the Warriors, but I’m excited to see what they do against Luka. I think the Warriors will try to back Lendeborg and not let Luka kill them, but it probably doesn’t matter. Luka is playing in an NBA Cup game, he is playing on ESPN at primetime, and he has extra trash talk motivation. I’m taking Luka over 34.5 points for tonight, and I’ll do a Luka Ladder. One full unit on 35+ points, .5u on 40+ points .2u on 45+, .2u on 50+, and .1u on 60+.
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