Lakers Slight Favorites Over Clippers in Updated Odds to Win Western Conference

• The Los Angeles Lakers remain the Western Conference favorites with the season set to resume on July 31st
• Their Staples Center rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, are close behind in the odds
• How will the prolonged mid-season break impact the outcome of this campaign?

The NBA season is due to restart on July 31st with 22 teams heading to Orlando. 13 Western Conference teams will take place in eight regular season games apiece before the playoffs, with the possibility of a short play-in tournament if there’s four or fewer games between the eight seed and the nine seed.

This is a season like no other, a season that has become unpredictable in ways that were near-unfathomable when the regular season began. The 2019-20 NBA season will go down in history, its champion will be a point of debate for years to come.

Our focus for this piece is the 2020 Western Conference odds, which are led by LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers ahead of reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and his Clippers.

Odds to Win 2020 NBA Western Conference

Odds taken Jun. 4th

Odds Changing

Since the league was suspended on March 11th, the Western Conference betting market has seen change. The Clippers’ price has marginally shortened to +190 with the Lakers lengthening to +165. The Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets have slipped to a shorter price too, while the Utah Jazz have seen the biggest alteration.

Utah’s odds flew up following tension in the locker room after Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The Jazz were as long as +1400 to come out the West and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1998. They are down to +1200 now, just behind Denver.

The loss of home advantage has played a part in the Lakers moving to +165, and should work in the Clippers’ favor, particularly if they face the Lakers in the Conference Finals. Despite every remaining game of the season taking place at a neutral site, the Lakers and Clippers are runaway favorites in the Western Conference.

Is It All About LA?

Home court advantage is a benefit of a dominant regular season, and while the Lakers and Clippers have lost that, the odds show what faith there is in the two superstar duos from Los Angeles.

Home court advantage is a reward for good performances throughout the regular season. Losing that for the playoffs changes the dynamic considerably, but the records and big-game outings we’ve seen from the Lakers and Clippers are enough for them to retain their status as two of the three best teams in the league.

Taking Staples Center out of the equation might be a leveller. It could equally be seen as a problem for those looking upset the odds. Does winning four out of seven against the Lakers or Clips become much harder without three games in front of your own fans?

Non-Los Angeles Options

The NBA were always going to be keen to get Zion Williamson and Dame Lillard back in action. They have done just that, and while the newly-healthy Portland Trail Blazers and thrilling New Orleans Pelicans are going to be exciting to watch, and will tempt plenty of bettors, they don’t look a good option right now.

It’s a big ask for either to make the playoffs and even if they do, they will face the Lakers in the first round.

The matchups from three through seven are going to be fascinating. Avoiding the seventh seed (and a first round date with the Clippers) is the goal. For the four teams that slot third, fourth, fifth and sixth, there’s no clear-cut favorite to make their way into the second round.

While the odds favor Houston and Denver as the ‘best of the rest’, they could potentially meet in the first round. The Rockets’ super-small-ball poses a threat to many, and they have a superstar backcourt, but +700 feels too short. Nikola Jokic had another stellar regular season after a slow start, yet the Nuggets are limited after a so-so season from Jamal Murray.

The Mavericks and Thunder overachieved this season. Perhaps they are best positioned to go on a run. Dallas have the fourth-best point differential in the NBA. Chris Paul is a man with a point to prove (wouldn’t it be fun to see him matchup with the Rockets?).

It looked a surefire thing that a Los Angeles team would be representing the West in the Finals. While that is by far the most likely outcome even now, the uncertainty of what lies ahead, the prolonged absence of competitive basketball, and the changed circumstances, will give the supposed outsiders greater hope.