Potential Western Conference and NBA Finals Series Odds Featuring Clippers vs Lakers & Bucks Released

• Odds are available on potential Western Conference and NBA Finals featuring the Los Angeles Clippers
• The Clips are currently the third-favorite to win this year’s championship 
• Are Kawhi Leonard and co. worth betting once basketball resumes?

The Los Angeles Clippers were elevated to NBA Championship contenders when Paul George and Kawhi Leonard arrived last summer. While the NBA season has been suspended following the coronavirus pandemic, there are still odds available on potential playoff matchups.

Three teams have led the NBA Championship odds all season long. The Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks have established themselves as being far clear of the rest of the league, and a Finals matchup featuring the Bucks against one of the Los Angeles teams looked by far the most likely outcome before the season was suspended.

The odds for every matchup of a potential seven-game series between the Clippers and Lakers and the Clips and Bucks are in the two tables below along with a quick rundown of the betting market.

Clippers vs Lakers Western Conference Finals Odds

All odds taken Apr. 14th

The Hallway Series

Last summer was a game-changer for basketball in Los Angeles. The Clippers built a legitimate challenger following a quick re-tool and the Lakers landed a second star to accompany LeBron James. Staples Center became the focal point of the NBA with what seemed like the two best teams in the league set to do battle in a city used to superstars. The Bucks might have proven themselves to be, at the very least, on the same level, but that doesn’t change the equation in the West.

It was, and likely is, set for a battle of Los Angeles to make the NBA Finals. It’s Anthony Davis and LeBron against Leonard and George, it’s an established NBA power facing their pushy neighbours. A seven-game series between these two in 2020 has the makings of an all-time classic, and we’ve had a taste of that in their three regular season matchups to date.

The Clippers won the first two on opening night and Christmas Day before a vintage outing from James made the season series 2-1.

With over 60 regular season games played, the general sense has been that the Lakers are better than expected and the Clippers are yet to reach their best. A combination of nagging injuries and load management has seen the Clips rarely have their best roster together, though there have been periods in games when they have flicked the switch and shown the fearsome team many expected them to be. It has been rare, and that’s important, but their best defensive performances have been sensational.

Ending the regular season as it stands would likely benefit the Lakers more than the Clippers. Doc Rivers’ team were preparing for the playoffs – taking out 20 games of that process could be problematic. The odds can barely split these two teams, but the Lakers should be narrowly favored if a seven-game series started tomorrow based on their regular season performances.

Clippers vs Bucks NBA Finals Odds

Should the Clippers make it past the Lakers, the most probable outcome is a Finals matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks and MVP-favorite Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks dropped off their historic pace just before basketball stopped, losing four of five, though their record remains a dazzling 53-12 and they got the better of the Clippers in both regular season matchups (including a 28-point blowout over both Leonard and George).

Leonard and Antetokounmpo duelled in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019, with the Bucks crumbling from a 2-0 lead as Leonard locked down the MVP. Antetokounmpo has taken his game to another level in 2019-20, however, posting extraordinary numbers throughout the campaign. Predicting a Leonard vs Antetokounmpo Finals is challenging, and there’s understandable concern about the Greek Freak come playoff time  with a jump shot that remains unreliable and ugly numbers at the charity stripe.

The Buck Stops Here

On the other side of the equation, the contest between Khris Middleton and Paul George as second scorers is different from how it looked six months ago. Middleton is one of the league’s most efficient scorers, and the Bucks have been good even without Giannis. George has been a long way from the MVP candidate we saw last season. That said, for the Clips to make the Finals they will need George somewhere near his best, and that might just tip the scales in their balance in a series with the Bucks.

Antetokounmpo might prove unstoppable, and Milwaukee’s regular season record shouldn’t be downplayed. There’s good reason to fancy the Clippers, particularly after how Leonard guarded Antetokounmpo last year, but this Bucks team was historically good this season.

You can look at this Finals matchup as the Clippers being tired after a war with the Lakers, or beating the Lakers is proof they can take down the Bucks. It could come down to if Leonard’s body can cope with guarding LeBron and Antetokounmpo in back-to-back series.