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NBA betting: Lakers on a hot streak, but are you trusting them to make a playoff run?

Frank Schwab
NFL writer
·3 min read
20

For a while, there was a concern if the Los Angeles Lakers would even make the play-in tournament. They fell to six games below .500 in mid-February and couldn't seem to get stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James healthy at the same time.

That has turned around. And the Lakers being the Lakers, their championship odds are getting shorter.

The Lakers got on a hot streak and are tied for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The top six in each conference is in the bracket and avoids the play-in tournament. The Lakers are tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 6 seed, and the two teams face off Wednesday.

Maybe the Lakers can actually make a run in the postseason.

Lakers odds getting shorter

The Lakers' surge didn't just coincide with James' return to the lineup.

The Lakers are 15-6 since Feb. 15. Davis did most of the heavy lifting early in that streak, after he got fully healthy and played very well. Then James returned on March 26. The Lakers lost their first game with James back but then won four in a row, all on the road. Three of the wins were by double digits. The Lakers got fully out of the play-in tournament discussion and into the "Can they get in the top six?" talk.

The Lakers are creeping up the NBA championship odds. At BetMGM they currently have the eighth-best odds, at +1700. Compare that to the Sacramento Kings, who are the No. 3 seed in the West but +5000 to win the title.

The Lakers are still -115 to make the play-in tournament, at BetMGM's odds. That's the third-shortest odds on the board, behind the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers are +100, right behind the Lakers.

The way the Lakers are playing, they could still avoid the play-in tournament. The Lakers are just a half-game out of the No. 5 seed, currently held by the Golden State Warriors.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are on a tear. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are on a tear. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Can the Lakers make a run?

The Lakers are probably the most popular betting team in the NBA. Their odds are usually inflated due to the public backing them.

The 17-to-1 odds for the Lakers to win the title are probably not in line with reality. They are 41-38, after all. But they have hope because stars usually win titles, and Los Angeles has two elite players. Davis has been one of the best big men in the NBA for years when he's healthy. James is still great, even at 38 years old.

Pair that combo with a West that isn't scary. The Denver Nuggets are the No. 1 seed but haven't experienced much playoff success. The Phoenix Suns look great on paper but we haven't seen much of them since the Kevin Durant trade. Everyone else is beatable. It's not that impossible for Davis and James to lead a series win or two.

Maybe the Lakers, who have won 15 of 21, can continue to stay hot when the playoffs start. It would help if they can stay out of the play-in tournament.