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Lakers Championship Odds Shorten to -380 After Clinching Berth in 2020 NBA Finals

Eric Rosales

by Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball

Updated Mar 5, 2021 · 8:31 AM PST

Anthony Davis and LeBron James hi-five each other
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers begin defense of their NBA title with an opening night tilt against the Clippers. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)
  • Los Angeles Lakers clinch NBA Finals berth after eliminating Nuggets
  • LeBron James to make 10th Finals appearance
  • Read below to find out LA’s updated odds and their chances against the Celtics or Heat

The NBA’s glamour franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers will be making its record 32nd NBA Finals appearance.

And LeBron James, the next great in the lineage of stars to don the Purple and Gold, will be making his 10th trip to the title series — the ninth time he’s been in the last 10 seasons.

It’s no surprise that the Lakers are heavy favorites to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in the latest NBA Championship Odds.

2020 NBA Championship Odds

Team Odds
Los Angeles Lakers -380
Miami Heat +480
Boston Celtics +900

Odds taken from FanDuel September 26th

After acquiring Anthony Davis this offseason, the Lakers were built for a title or bust. They actually started in June 2019 as the preseason championship favorite, and their odds never lengthened past that opening +450. Now sitting at -380 and four wins away from a title, let’s explore if they are the wager you should be making.

LeBron James Still The Real Deal

After a rough first year with the Lakers, where a groin injury suffered on Christmas Day derailed not only a trip to the playoffs but also a streak of eight straight trips to the NBA Finals, LeBron James is back, the ninth time in 10 years the King will feature in a series for the championship. He will be seeking a third title and an unprecedented third Finals MVP with a third franchise.

In his 17th season, James returned to the form that helped him gain the status of the greatest player of his generation. While Anthony Davis is the star in his prime that might be the most talented player LA has, LeBron still remains the hub of the team, doing the necessary scoring, facilitating and decision-making needed to ensure the Lakers are in the best position to win.

And he still knows how to close. Take Game 5’s clincher in the Western Conference Finals. James finished with a monster 38-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist triple double, doing major damage down the stretch, highlighted by a hail of jumpers in a personal 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter to finally eliminate the pesky Nuggets.

In these playoffs, he’s averaging 25.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 8.8 assists on 54.1% shooting from the field, and 35.4% from three.

To complete the dynamic duo, Davis is averaging a team-high 28.9 points and 9.6 rebounds on 57.1% shooting.

Lakers’ Style On Both Ends Title-Caliber

The Lakers have found success in each of their series wins by controlling the pace. They’ve slowed high-octane offenses in Portland, Houston and Denver, using size to their advantage, imposing their will and eventually grinding teams to a halt.

Los Angeles has the second-best defensive rating left of any team standing in the playoffs, and are tops in defensive rebounding percentage and blocks per game. They surrender 106.5 points a game, second to the Celtics, while allowing just 40 points a game in the paint (second to only Boston in teams remaining).

They are also relentless at getting to the paint on offense. The Lakers lead the playoffs in paint scoring at 49.6 a night, and are one of only two teams to average better than 10 offensive rebounds a contest. They lead the NBA playoffs in converting turnovers into buckets, putting up 19.3 points in that category.

In a league where long distance shooting is the cool play, the Lakers are old school, averaging under 32 attempts a contest, the third lowest mark of any team in the playoffs. But they do so much damage in the paint, it’s no fluke they are first in shooting from the field at 49.8% and are the third highest scoring team, potting better than 113 points a game.

Back The Lakers For The Chip

It’s not the greatest return on your investment, but it’s hard to see LeBron and the Lakers not finish off this season with a title. This line should only shorten if the Celtics-Heat extend to Game 7, so jump on now if you haven’t yet.

Either Miami or Boston will be formidable opponents, but the Lakers pose major matchup battles. Perhaps no team can actually handle Anthony Davis, but even with a team’s best defender on him, who is going to guard LeBron?

It’s an equation no team has had an answer for in these playoffs. And assuming the Lakers find some form of contribution from the rest of their roster — a rotation that includes Danny Green, Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Markieff Morris — I doubt any team will this season.

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