Lakers Championship Odds Improve to -1667 After Game 1 Win and Heat Losing Dragic, Adebayo to Injuries

• The Los Angeles Lakers recorded a blowout win over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals
• Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo left the game with injuries and Jimmy Butler turned his ankle
• The Lakers odds have shortened significantly; is there any reason left to bet Miami?

The Los Angeles Lakers NBA championship odds have shortened massively after their Game 1 one. Now listed as -1667 favorites at DraftKings, the Lakers are three wins away from their first championship since 2010.

Miami suffered injuries to its three best players in point guard Goran Dragic, center Bam Adebayo and wing Jimmy Butler. Dragic and Adebayo left the game on Wednesday, while Butler appeared to be playing through pain.

It wasn’t just the Game 1 win for the Lakers that saw the odds shift so dramatically. It was the blowout nature of the victory and the injury crisis that has struck the Heat.

2020 NBA Finals Lakers vs Heat Series Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings on October 1st

Dragic Unlikely to Play Major Role

Dragic left the floor after an apparently innocuous incident with Rajon Rondo. It was widely reported after the game that the veteran guard suffered a plantar tear in his left foot, an injury that can keep players sidelined for several weeks.

Some claimed his Finals is likely over, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Dragic has been able to put weight on the troubled foot and hasn’t yet ruled himself out.

He left the arena without using a boot and, according to Chris Haynes, was not favoring his foot much. Jared Weiss said Dragic currently puts himself as day-to-day and could receive a cortisone injection to allow him to play through the pain.

Dragic has been able to put pressure on his left foot and hasn't ruled out returning to play in the NBA Finals, source tells ESPN. https://t.co/Ea1LeqncBL

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 1, 2020

The Slovenian has been phenomenal in these playoffs, scoring over 20 per game. Losing him for the series would be a huge blow.

Adebayo’s Troubled Shoulder

Bam Adebayo, arguably the Heat’s best player, appeared to hurt his left arm in the Conference Finals. An injury to his left shoulder resurfaced in Game 1 of the Finals, forcing him to leave the game. X-Rays returned negative, and the do-it-all center was diagnosed with a shoulder strain.

Source says Bam Adebayo intends to play Friday in Game 2. There will be a lot of treatment in his future Thursday.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) October 1, 2020

Tim Reynolds reported Adebayo plans to play in Game 2. He’s set for treatment on Thursday to get him ready for a game that borders on must-win for Miami.

Anthony Davis dominated inside when Adebayo sat on Wednesday. There was no rim protection without Adebayo. While he didn’t spend much time guarding Davis, his presence was invaluable in the paint. He’s pivotal on the offensive end, too, as was exhibited in the Conference Finals when he led the team in points and assists.

Jimmy Butler on his ankle. “A little bit sore. I’ll be fine.”

— Will Manso (@WillManso) October 1, 2020

Miami is going to find it incredibly hard to even win a game if Adebayo is out or playing hurt. They need him at 100% at both ends if they are to make this a competitive series – even that might not be enough with Dragic out.

Positives for Miami

As noted in our Game 2 preview, the Lakers shot the ball very well in Game 1. Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope both found their shooting stroke, Davis and LeBron James drained triples.

Miami’s defense on James early on was pretty good. They helped on his drives, collapsing several defenders into the paint, which resulted in multiple missed shots from James. He wasn’t able to get those easy points and isolate against subpar defenders too often, though that changed later in the game as the Heat switched too easily and allowed James to drive at Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. Those possessions ended just as everyone expected.

Lakers fans to KCP after slandering him all year. pic.twitter.com/q2fSujNnmf

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 1, 2020

To put it simply: The Heat have no chance if the Lakers shoot 65% from three, as they did in the first half. Few were wide open – they are the shots Miami wants the Lakers to take, but they were making most of them. That hot shooting isn’t going to last all series long.

The news with Adebayo’s injury is better than many feared when he left the floor. Jae Crowder appeared to regain his shooting touch, and Butler’s ankle appears to be okay.

Jae Crowder and LeBron on the floor. 👀 pic.twitter.com/RXhEuZWxUC

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 1, 2020

The scoreline and injuries were disastrous, but there are positives for the Heat to take from Game 1.

Locked In Lakers Defense

There’s no case to back the Lakers at -1667 to win the title. Series correct score markets are the place to look – plenty will fancy a Lakers sweep at +110.

“I liked the way we played in that second, third quarter. But the way we ended, that’s unacceptable.” – @KingJames pic.twitter.com/VEhhGFFkgW

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 1, 2020

While the numbers posted by Davis and the dissection of the defense from LeBron is clear, it was defense that won the Lakers the game once again. After a slow start, they turned it up a notch on the defensive end and the Heat were unable to get any good looks. They did a great job chasing Robinson off hand-offs, Davis was impacting shots all over the floor. Adebayo’s rotten shooting night helped them out, too.

The Lakers are unlikely to shoot the ball as well in Game 2. They probably won’t need to – the Heat had everything go wrong in Game 1, they need everything to go right on Friday to make this into a competitive series.