After missing the playoffs last year in a season many fans would like to forget, there was a cautious sense of optimism amongst Los Angeles Laker fans as the 2022-23 season opened in October. LeBron James, at 37 years old, was still a force, and after missing the final 47 games of last season, Anthony Davis was healthy. While the team couldn’t find a trade partner for Russell Westbrook, perhaps the chemistry the team lacked last season would find a way to work itself into this year’s team.
After all, how could things be worse? After opening as +275 favorites to win it all last season, the Lakers went a dismal 33-49, missed the playoffs despite the expanded format, and found themselves in the draft lottery without a draft pick. This season the Lakers opened +2700 to start, well behind the favorite Milwaukee Bucks (+550), rival Boston Celtics (+600), and the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors (+700).
Lakers Struggle Out of the Gate
Los Angeles lost its first five games of the season before defeating the Denver Nuggets the day before Halloween. After a big overtime win against the New Orleans Pelicans three nights later, the team dropped its next five games to fall to 2-10 before finishing the month of November 8-12 and just a game out of the last play-in spot in the Western Conference.
Now that we’re approaching Christmas, we can see that December hasn’t been all that kind. Los Angeles lost Anthony David to a foot injury against Denver that will likely have him out of action until late January. The team is 4-6 over their last ten games and plays five of their next six games on the road. Bodog online sportsbook now has the Lakers at +5000 to win the title, about double the opening odds.
NBA Championship Odds
Whether you’re betting on the NBA or not, one of the best ways to check what fans and experts think about how the season will end is to check the latest futures odds.
NBA Championship Odds from Bodog as of December 22, 2022
- Boston Celtics: +375
- Milwaukee Bucks: +550
- Los Angeles Clippers: +750
- Golden State Warriors: +900
- Brooklyn Nets: +1000
- Phoenix Suns: +1000
- Denver Nuggets: +1400
- Memphis Grizzlies: +1500
- New Orleans Pelicans: +2000
- Philadelphia 76ers: +2000
- Cleveland Cavaliers: +2500
- Dallas Mavericks: +3500
- Miami Heat: +3500
- Los Angeles Lakers: +5000
- Portland Trail Blazers: +5000
- Atlanta Hawks: +6000
- Toronto Raptors: +7000
- Minnesota Timberwolves: +10000
- New York Knicks: +10000
- Sacramento Kings: +10000
- Utah Jazz: +20000
- Chicago Bulls: +30000
- Washington Wizards: +30000
- Indiana Pacers: +50000
- Oklahoma City Thunder: +100000
- Charlotte Hornets: +100000
- Detroit Pistons: +100000
- Orlando Magic: +100000
- San Antonio Spurs: +100000
- Houston Rockets: +100000
Boston Celtics
Even if Boston Celtics are favored to win the championship based on the latest betting odds, it’s not guaranteed they can win. However, Jayson Tatum leads a stacked line-up, including Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams, and Malcolm Brogdon.
Williams and Brogdon are two players that need to stay healthy and on the court to better their odds of winning this season. Brogdon had an Achilles injury that kept him off 36 games last year. Williams also missed the 2021-22 season and the start of the latest season.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania said that Williams is set to return at some point during the second half of the season. It could be in mid-December or January, but it’s possible that it could also be later.
Meanwhile, Tatum has had a steady progression this season and is on his career-high with 30.0 PPG. It’s no longer a question of whether Tatum would also play well with Brown. The two have proven how well they paired up last season, so all they can do is focus on giving the team its title.
The two told Chris Forsberg how they would trade their accolades to win the championship. They said they’ll need to carry their “us against the world” attitude to make that happen this season.
Brown said, “It’s going to take dedication from each of our guys daily. Accountability every single day. That’s the way you get back. To think you’re going to coast off of last year, it’s not going to work like that.”