LeBron James Vs. Steph Curry: Lakers Vs. Warriors NBA Playoffs Betting Odds, How To Watch And Who Holds The Head-To-Head Advantage

Two of the greatest players currently in the National Basketball Association face off in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

Here’s a look at how Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James and Golden State Warriors' Steph Curry have performed against each other in past playoff matchups, what the betting odds say and how television networks could cash in from the highly anticipated matchup.

What Happened: The first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs featured several major storylines including Curry facing a 0-2 deficit for the first time in his NBA career.

After going down 0-2, the sixth-seed Warriors rallied back to beat the third-seed Sacramento Kings in a seven-game series.

Another storyline for the first round was the Los Angeles Lakers being the underdogs as the seven-seed in the Western Conference against the two-seed Memphis Grizzlies, a first in James' career. Despite being the underdog, the Lakers were able to win the series in six games.

James now has a 15-1 record in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, losing his only first-round series in the 2020-2021 season.

Related Link: 5 Fun Facts You Might Not Know About NBA Star Steph Curry 

James vs. Curry Playoff History: The playoff history between Curry and James is among the best in NBA history with the two facing off against each other in four straight NBA Finals from 2015 through 2018. Outside of the NBA Finals, the two met in the 2021 play-in game.

In their head-to-head NBA Playoff career, Curry holds a 15-7 advantage over the years.

Here’s a look at the history:

2015 NBA Finals: Warriors won in six games

2016 NBA Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers won in seven games

2017 NBA Finals: Warriors won in five games

2018 NBA Finals: Warriors won in four games

2021 Play-In Game: Lakers won

Both players have been asked about the matchup since winning their first-round series.

“Just two of the most competitive players that have ever played this game. And we want to etch our names in the history books as much as we can,” James said.

During the 2022-2023 regular season, the Lakers won three of four matchups. The catch is that James and Curry missed several of the matchups with the Warriors winning the lone game that featured both stars.

Betting Odds: Odds at DraftKings Inc DKNG see the Warriors favored to win the series at -145 with the Lakers the underdog at +120.

The over/under on games in the series is 5.5 games with the over paying -190 as a strong favorite and under 5.5 games paying +155.

The exact number of games sees betting odds favor a long series. Odds for the game to be won in seven games is the favorite at +185, followed by six games at +205, five games at +300 and four games at +550.

The opening Game 1 on Tuesday night has the Warriors as 4.5 point favorites.

A prop on DraftKings allows bettors to back Curry and James to have 60 combined points in Game 1 at odds of +140.

James will be an underdog in the series, which could be bad news for the Lakers. Counting the win in the first round as an underdog, James has now been an underdog 11 times with a 5-6 record.

How to Watch: The series between the Warriors and Lakers kicks off Tuesday, May 2 and could be one of the most watched series of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Here’s a look at the schedule:

Game 1: May 2, 10 p.m. ET, TNT

Game 2: May 4, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 3: May 6, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Game 4: May 8, 10 p.m. ET, TNT

Game 5 (if necessary): May 10, time TBD, TNT

Game 6 (if necessary): May 12, time TBD, ESPN

Game 7 (if necessary): May 14, time TBD, TV TBD

The first two games will be played at Golden State (San Francisco) with games three and four in Los Angeles. The games will then alternate between Golden State and Los Angeles as needed.

A look at the TV providers shows Walt Disney Co DIS could be a big winner as the owner of ESPN and ABC, getting at least three of the games if the series goes six games. Warner Bros. Discovery Inc WBD will also benefit from having at least two games on TNT and a potential third game. Whoever gets Game 7 if necessary could see huge ratings.

In the first round, ESPN saw some of its best first-round ratings ever from games featuring the Warriors and Lakers. Game 6 of the Kings and Warriors series averaged 4.98 million viewers on ESPN, its biggest-ever first-round game for the cable channel.

Game 7 between the Warriors and Kings had an average of 9.84 million viewers on ABC, which was the most for a first-round NBA Playoff game since 1999.

Other Factors: One of the big factors for the Lakers vs. Warriors series could be the home-court advantage. The Warriors have the advantage in the matchup and both teams have played well at home during the season.

During the 2022-2023 season, the Warriors were 33-8 in their home games. Away from home, the Warriors were 11-30. In the first round, the Warriors were 2-1 at home and 2-2 away.

The Lakers also were strong at home during the regular season, going 23-18. The team was 20-21 in away matches. In the first round, the Lakers were 3-0 in home games and 1-2 in away games.

If the series goes seven games, the Warriors' home court could play as the key advantage.

The Warriors also bring a perfect 19-0 record in the Western Conference playoff series under coach Steve Kerr into the series, a perfect record that will be on the line.

Another storyline for the series could involve two publicly traded sports apparel companies.

Nike Inc NKE has a lifetime deal with James and counts the NBA star as one of its key brand ambassadors and endorsees. The apparel company also famously missed out on signing Curry in the early years due to not putting the right name on a slide show and saying his name wrong.

Under Armour UAUAA is the home of the Curry Brand, which Curry now leads. Curry signed with Under Armour in 2013 and launched the Curry Brand in 2020. Curry signed a long-term deal with Under Armour earlier this year after some believed Nike could make a play for the star again. Curry owns equity in Under Armour as part of his new deal.

For more on the sports betting landscape and what could be next for popular betting segments and legislation, tune in to the Benzinga Sports Betting Titans virtual event on May 24.

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