Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds & Preview

The Los Angeles Lakers were having their best season in a long time. The Purple and Gold had the best record in the Western Conference before play was halted and the Lakers looked like they were peaking just in time for the playoffs. However, the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season and the Lakers’ search for their first NBA title since 2010 was left in limbo.

The Lakers were led by their dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis and the two may benefit from the break after playing major minutes since the start of the season. James is already 35 years old and playing in his 17th season while Davis was playing through minor injuries for the Lakers. With the pause, expect these two superstars to be fresh and ready to lead the Lakers to the land of promise.

Los Angeles Lakers Season Summary

The Los Angeles traded their young core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart for Anthony Davis. The pairing of Davis and LeBron James immediately paid dividends for the Lakers. Los Angeles soared to the top of the Western Conference and had the second-best record in the league at 49-14 when the season was suspended. The All-Star duo averaged a combined 50 points, 17 rebounds, and 14 assists as the Lakers became immediate title contenders.

Five days before the shutdown of the season, the Lakers defeated the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks by ten points at Staples Center with LeBron James outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Two days later, the Lakers faced their cross-town rivals Clippers, and once again, King James starred for the Purple and Gold as they picked up their first win over the Clippers in three tries.
But just when the Lakers were heating up and LeBron was in playoff gear, the pandemic struck and halted their momentum.

With LeBron staying healthy this season, the Lakers have been a very deadly team. Aside from Davis, the King has gotten plenty of help from his crew. Dwight Howard was having a resurgent season and the former Defensive Player of the Year averaged 7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game this year for the Lakers. Meanwhile, Danny Green also provided help on both ends of the floor while Alex Caruso was a pleasant surprise with his ability to score and run the show for the Lakers.

Odds and Outlook

The Lakers are the current odds favorites to win the 2020 NBA title. They are currently at +225 to be crowned as the NBA’s next champions and they are also a +130 to win the Western Conference this year. Before the break, the Lakers held a 5.5 games lead over the L.A. Clippers in the team standings and a 7 game edge over the third-place Denver Nuggets. With the restart only having 8 regular-season games, the Lakers are almost a sure bet to win the West.

When it comes to winning the NBA title, the Lakers are just three games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the West. However, since the resumption of the season will be played in a single venue, then the homecourt advantage won’t matter much in the 2020 playoffs. The Lakers have proved that they can contain Giannis and beat the Bucks so there is a lot of optimism right now.

As to their possible schedule, the Lakers could play.

Houston Rockets
Denver Nuggets
Utah Jazz
Toronto Raptors

Indiana Pacers
Portland Trail Blazers
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic

The Lakers were 33-7 against the Western Conference and 16-7 against the East so their possible schedule will be an interesting thing to watch. However, given that they are already 5.5 games up on the Clippers, then the Lakers don’t have too much pressure during the seeding phase.

Player Injuries

The Lakers didn’t have any player on their injured list except Talen Thornton-Tucker who has played just two games this season. But if you think that the long break didn’t benefit this team, you are so wrong because it will help LeBron James and Anthony Davis re-charge their batteries after playing major minutes before the pause. James is already 35 and playing in his 17th season so he is no longer a spring chicken. With all the mileage in his tank, the pause was a big help to James, personally.

Likewise, Anthony Davis was getting hurt here and there, and although nothing was serious and AD played through the injuries. Getting a three-month rest is awesome for Davis who loves to play up and down the court. With an extra 90-days off, AD should be fresh as if the regular season had just begun. That’s going to be bad news for the opposition.

Please Note

Other experts would say that the suspension of the season hurt the Lakers more than it benefits them because the team was coming off its best weekend of the year when the season was paused. LeBron James was in playoff mode and the team was peaking at the right time. Sure, the break hurt the momentum. But I’m sure Frank Vogel would take a 100% rested LeBron and AD over whatever momentum they had.

When it comes to the 8-game seeding period, the Lakers and Bucks have the advantage because they both have a sizeable lead over their closest rivals. While their opponents have to win as many games as possible, the Lakers don’t have the same amount of pressure to win all eight games. While they want to keep their momentum, the Lakers have the luxury of resting their key players after they pick up a couple of wins. With fresher legs in the playoffs, this team will be able to go deep in the postseason and hopefully fulfill their promise of winning the 2020 NBA title.

Betting Predictions

The Lakers were arguably the best team in the West this season despite being just 1-2 against the Clippers. When it comes to the Western Conference, I think that their main competition will be their L.A. rivals but with a well-rested LeBon James and Anthony Davis are up to the task. James was having an MVP season and in fact, oddsmakers said that he was the only player to challenge Giannis for the award.

James is playing in year 17 yet he was one of the best players in the league. He led the league in assists and was scoring more comfortably than he did in his first year with the Lakers in 2019. Davis has been a monster on defense and was among the top choices for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

I would bet on the Lakers to win the West because they have an excellent record against their conference mates. They are also led by two veteran superstars who have been in the postseason and with both fresh and 100%, this team could live up to its billing as the betting favorite to win the 2020 NBA title. If you ask me, I would bet on the Lakers to win both the West and the NBA title. I think this is going to be a special year in Los Angeles but the odds aren’t too tempting right now. I’d wait for the odds to get better, maybe after half of the eight seeding games have been played.

Best Basketball Gambling Sites