They made it. With Wednesday night‘s 112-97 win over the Mavericks in Luka Doncic‘s return to Dallas, the Lakers have clinched a playoff position for the fifth time in six years. Doncic put up 45 points after fighting back tears in his return to the city that embraced his talent for six-and-a-half years. Now that the Lakers are back in the playoffs, what are their odds to win the Finals?
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Playoff Picture
Currently, as the three-seed out of the Western Conference, the Lakers would be slated to play the current six-seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. This scenario is subject to change, but the West is an absolute bloodbath; anyone the Lakers face will make it difficult for them.
To compare, the West’s eight-seed Timberwolves, at 46-33, hold a better record than the five-seed in the East, the Bucks, who are 45-34. No matter who they come across in the playoffs, it will be a battle for the Lakers, especially in a conference with the Thunder and Rockets.
Recent Performance
Since acquiring Doncic, the Lakers have been one of the best teams in basketball with a 21-12 record. However, since March 1st, they are 12-10. Inconsistent performances have plagued the team lately, but overall, they are still one of the best teams in the league with the star power of LeBron James and Luka Doncic to guide them. After all, they were due to cool down after losing just two games from January 21st to March 6th.
The Lakers have also proven recently that they have what it takes to beat good teams. They’re coming off a split of back-to-back games against the Thunder; beating the Thunder this season is an accomplishment in itself. They held their own against the Rockets on April 1st, winning 104-98. However, recent losses to teams such as the Bulls, Magic, and Nets set them apart from Oklahoma City and Houston, who dominate the Western Conference; they simply don’t lose to sub-teams.500 teams, and the Lakers lack consistency in that sense.
Odds
Here are the current NBA Finals betting odds:
As shown, the Lakers have the second-best odds in the Western Conference to win it all. Not pictured from the right behind the Lakers are the Warriors, Nuggets, Clippers, Timberwolves, and Rockets (with the Knicks from the East between the Nuggets and Clippers). They have good odds, but there are a lot of Western Conference teams on their tail. Before they can even think about a championship, they have to make it out of their conference first.
