Thanks to the Los Angeles Lakers’ fight in the bubble, there is no clear favorite to win the NBA Championship entering the playoffs, for a change.
Some sports books have the Milwaukee Bucks as the team to beat, while other bookmakers still have the Lakers as pointed as the favorites, and in Las Vegas, the LA Clippers can be found on top of the chance to win the championship.
It is the first time since 2015 that there has been no clear title favorite in the playoffs, the start of the Golden State Warriors run. The Warriors have been the overwhelming favorites in each of the past five postseasons with odds never exceeding +175.
This season, the odds of the favorite – whether it be the Lakers, Bucks or Clippers – averaging around +250.
“We beat the Lakers to 3-1 [to win the title]”That’s the highest we’ve been in a while, and we made the Clippers the favorites at 11-4,” Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk at the SuperBook in Westgate Las Vegas, told ESPN.
At one point, before the league stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Lakers saw themselves distinguished from the Bucks and Clippers. Mar LeBron James & Co. were unpredictable since the rematch, going 3-5 in Florida.
Some of the Lakers’ accomplishments can be attributed to their situation: They were locked up in the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference – and No. 2 in general – resumed early, and coach Frank Vogel experimented with different setups in the games that had less meaning.
However, the Lakers ended the boiling games with the second lowest net efficiency rating.
“It affects their judgment and their perception because people are enthusiastic about Portland in this series,” Sherman said, noting that the SuperBook had taken six bets on the Trail Blazers for everyone they met on the Trail Blazers. The Lakers got into the first teams round playoff series, including a $ 5,000 and a $ 1,000 bet on Portland at 4-1 odds.
The Trail Blazers were also a popular bet to overtake the Lakers at sportsbook PointsBet, which reported taking “sharp action”, which improved Portland’s chances in the first-round series from +450 to +375.
The chances of the Lakers’ title fell behind the Bucks and the Clippers at PointsBet. Communications Director Patrick Eichner said the Lakers’ performance in the bubble, in addition to their tough path in the Western Conference, caused their chances to be extended.
The Lakers have drawn even more bets and more money to win than any other team at multiple sportsbooks, and Caesars Sportsbook has named them as the favorites at 2-1, due to heavy support for early betting. But Caesars’ bookmakers have acknowledged that the Lakers would likely be underdogs for the Bucks and Clippers in potential matchups after the season.
While the Lakers have taken a step back in the eyes of oddsmakers, the Clippers are upset. Sherman says he believes the Clippers would be favorites over the Bucks as the Lakers in a playoff series.
“As [the Clippers] progress and get a healthy team, they have – – on both sides of the court, offense and defense – the most complete team, so from a power-rated standpoint we have rated them the highest, “said Sherman.
The Clippers are -650 favorites over the Dallas Mavericks in their first-round series, tipping Monday.
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