- Lakers’ title odds swell to +4000 after blowout loss to the Pelicans.
- The Lakers opened with the second best odds to win the 2022 NBA championship at +400.
- Los Angeles is currently at 27-33 SU and in 9th place in the Western Conference team standings.
The Los Angeles Lakers are having a season they’d rather forget. After failing to defend their 2020 NBA championship last season, the Lakers regrouped and added players like Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Kendrick Nunn, and Malik Monk to challenge for the title this season.
But lo and behold, the Lakers have been far from being title contenders this season, and don’t even resemble a playoff team with just over 20 games left to play in the regular season.
Pelicans Embarrass Lakers on National TV
The Pelicans embarrassed the Lakers in front of a national tv audience.
“We were just out there having fun, laughing, and playing the game the right way. Everybody contributed in a big way tonight.” — Brandon Ingram after the 123-95 blow-out victory https://t.co/XO6DvaJ4bw pic.twitter.com/egf9XsS6WK
— The Bird Writes (@thebirdwrites) February 28, 2022
Los Angeles’ horror season took to another low on Sunday night when they were embarrassed by the 24-36 New Orleans Pelicans 123-95 at Staples Center. The Lakers played so bad that the crowd not only booed them but got into verbal altercations with some players including LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.
That loss came after the Lakers were defeated by their cross-town rival Clippers in a game where Clippers coach Ty Lue said that his team didn’t even prepare to play the Lakers. The Purple and Gold have lost seven out of their last 10 games, including their last two.
The Lakers opened 2022 with four consecutive wins to go two games over the .500 mark at 21-19 SU. However, they have gone 6-14 SU in their last 20 games, a stretch so bad that only the Rockets have a worse record during that span. Currently, the Lakers are 27-33, and they are now 8.5 games off the 6th seed and an outright playoff spot.
If the playoffs were to begin today, the Lakers would have to beat the Pelicans for a right to play for the 8th seed, and then defeat the loser of the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and L.A. Clippers to book a playoff ticket. As if things weren’t hard enough, the Lakers would then face the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Lakers Championship Odds
Lakers Championship Odds
Preseason Today
+400 ??? +4000pic.twitter.com/6NkxbyVT7m— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) February 28, 2022
The Lakers opened with the second shortest odds to win the 2022 NBA championship at +400. Only the Brooklyn Nets at +250 had shorter odds than the Purple and Gold when the odds were first released by the best NBA betting sites. But the longer this season has gone, the longer the Lakers’ odds have become.
Right now, the Lakers’ championship odds have dropped to +4000 at BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, Borgata Online, Unibet, and Barstool Sportsbook. Los Angeles is still listed as high as +2800 at PointsBet USA. They are also still +3300 at Bet365 USA and +3400 via MyBookie.ag. But the Lakers aren’t just fading fast as championship contenders. Los Angeles’ playoff odds are also dropping in a hurry.
According to SportsBetting.ag, the Lakers are a -250 betting favorite to miss the playoffs after opening as a massive -5000 favorite to enter the postseason. At those odds, Los Angeles has an implied probability of 71.4% not to make the playoffs this season. ESPN’s playoff index has L.A. with a more grim 12% chance of making the playoffs while finishing with only 36 wins.
Of course, there are still 22 games left to play for the Lakers but with the 2nd toughest remaining schedule in the league and a mess of a team they’ve got, the prospect isn’t looking good.
