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Horse Racing NBA Western Conference Finals Odds Preview and Best Bet: Lakers a Dangerous 7th Seed
NBA Western Conference Finals Odds Preview and Best Bet: Wednesday, May 17th
The NBA Western Conference Finals are already underway and the Nuggets are a step ahead, going up 1-0 in the series at Ball Arena. We got a good look at how this series is going to look and it’s fair to say we can expect a lot more excitement in the games to come.
The Lakers are big underdogs to come back and win the series but we are giving them some rope and we expect Darvin Ham and his boys to keep the series close.
In this article
- Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers Series Odds Preview
- Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers Series Best Bet
Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers Series Odds Preview
Nobody could argue that the Denver Nuggets have been a good team in recent years, making the playoffs in each of their last 5 seasons, but they are now a serious contender for the NBA title. The Nuggets made the conference finals back in the 2019/20 ‘Bubble’ season and lost to the Lakers in a one-sided 1-4 series. They are now back without any injury issues, with both Jamal Murray and MPJ healthy and in peak form, and the Nuggets are now the second favourites to go all the way at 2.60 odds.
The Nuggets have been playing some unreal basketball this offseason, with Jokic and Murray’s two-way game looking unstoppable and their teamwork at a perfect level. They are the top team in terms of net rating with 8.4 and this is due to one reason only. We all know that their offence is next to unstoppable, but their defence has been terrific in the playoffs, something we haven’t really seen from this team. Jokic, who is widely considered a defensive liability has vastly improved his defensive effort and the team is allowing just 108.3 points per game, compared to 112.5 during the regular season.
However, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most dangerous 7th seeds we have seen in NBA history. The Lakers finished the regular season with an unimpressive 43-39 record, but their form has been steadily increasing as the season has moved along. They went 8-2 to finish the season and used the series against the Memphis Grizzlies to tune their game up and get themselves ready for more serious opponents. They went on to dispatch the defending champions in 6 games with exceptional performances all around, which brings me to our next point. The bookmakers have them to win this series at 3.15 odds and at 6.00 to win the NBA championship.
During the past decade, we have gotten used to seeing Lebron as the main character with the rest of his team straggling along. But this year, the Los Angeles Lakers are a legitimate team, with a lot of trust, passing and effort on defence. The emergence of Austin Reeves, Lonnie Walker, Rui Hachimura Diangelo Russell and Dennis Schroeder has been exactly what the Lakers needed and the results are evident. Darvin Ham’s squad is now the top-ranked team in defensive rating, while their fast-paced offence and passing have given them an offensive rating of 112.9.
Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers Series Best Bet
Let’s address the issue at hand here. I wanted to wait until after Game 1 to make my bet and the great news is the Nuggets went up 1-0 at home. For all of you Lebron James believers out there now is the time to back him to win the series at 3.15 odds. The Lakers are down in the series and everyone and their grandma will be rushing to back the Nuggets to advance. Fair, but we just see the Lakers as a dangerous opponent and they won’t just roll over and get swept.
The Lakers play great defence, have a lot of guys who can contribute and they have Lebron James on their roster, a player who has been to the NBA finals 10 times in his career! Now, I’m not saying the Lakers will turn the series around but their resilience gives them a fighting chance and I’m backing them to keep this series close.
- Selection: Lakers +1.5
- Best odds: 1.83 (Bet365)
- Stakes: 2/10
Odds as at 11:00 am on May 17th, 2023. Odds may now differ.
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