The Los Angeles Lakers are surging. After their seventh straight win on Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, Lakers fans have begun to dream about a postseason run to the NBA Finals.
At 39-21, the Lakers have taken over the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference. Luka Doncic is rounding into form, and LeBron James is playing at an All-NBA level. Since February 1st, the Lakers have the best defensive rating in the league, going 12-2 in that stretch.
All of this points to the Lakers being championship contenders. In fact, they have moved up to fifth-best title odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. At +1500, the Lakers are only behind the Celtics, Thunder, Cavaliers, and the Nuggets.
NBA Championship Odds
Team | Odds |
|---|---|
Boston Celtics | +180 |
OKC Thunder | +190 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | +600 |
Denver Nuggets | +1400 |
Los Angeles Lakers | +1500 |
New York Knicks | +2200 |
Golden State Warriors | +2500 |
The Lakers are also given the third-best odds (+550) to win the West. Oklahoma City is the overwhelming favorite there at -135 with Denver behind them, but there are reasons for why Lakers fans should feel optimistic against both of these opponents.
The Thunder couldn't handle Doncic in last year's playoffs, as the Mavericks brushed them aside on their way to the Finals. The Lakers have a lot more experience than the young OKC team. Los Angeles also just defeated the Nuggets in dominant fashion since the Doncic trade.
The frontcourt depth is the only serious issue the Lakers are facing. If they ultimately fall short, it will likely be because of their inability to add quality and depth to their big man rotation at the deadline. Even though JJ Redick has done an excellent job creating an elite defense with this group, doing so in the playoffs with Jaxson Hayes as the only rotation-caliber center will be extremely difficult to do.
At the bare minimum, however, the Lakers have set themselves up well to make a deep postseason run. If injury luck and the playoff bracket break their way, we could easily see Doncic in the NBA Finals for a second straight year.
More Los Angeles Lakers news and rumors:
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.