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The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the favorites to win the 2021 NBA Finals ahead of Game 4 in their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns, but Anthony Davis’s groin injury has damaged their long-term outlook in the eyes of oddsmakers. The reigning champs have seen their title odds and Western Conference Finals odds drop significantly because of their star power forward’s position.
Los Angeles has the second-best odds to come out of the Western Conference at +275 and only trails the Utah Jazz. It was favored to reach the NBA Finals at +200 ahead of the playoffs, so that’s not too big of a drop-off. The Lakers’ title odds are another story.
The three teams with the best title odds are the Brooklyn Nets (+180), Utah Jazz (+400), and Milwaukee Bucks (+450). The Lakers have dropped from second to fourth among the favorites and now have +600 title odds. Los Angeles can climb back toward the top of Davis returns to close out the Suns, but the Lakers’ odds of making it to the second round are glum at the moment.
Seventh-seeded Los Angeles was favored to take down the Suns and advance to the second round with LeBron James and Davis healthy before the playoffs started, but now they’re underdogs at +130 on the series line. The Lakers are also +170 on the moneyline for Game 5. Los Angeles was favored to win every game last postseason, so getting value on short and long-term betting options now could be big. I’m all for betting on Los Angeles, as its odds will get better with a Game 5 victory, and making the NBA Finals will be a reach if Phoenix goes up 3-2 with home-court advantage for Game 7.
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