Lakers getting LeBron James back has spiked their NBA Finals odds
The Los Angeles Lakers are in a much better place when LeBron James is on the court.
With the future Hall of Fame player returning to the Lakers rotation on Sunday after missing time with an injury, Vegas has bumped up Los Angeles’ odds to win the NBA Finals.
The Lakers have gone from +4200 title odds to +3500, which is good for sixth overall among teams in the Western Conference to take home the championship, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Those NBA Finals odds are good for tenth overall among all NBA teams, per FanDuel.
It seems when you’ve got the King, you’ve got much better chances to take home a trophy.
The Lakers now have moved to sixth-best odds of any team in the Western Conference to win the NBA Finals following LeBron James' return to action today, from +4200 to +3500, per @FDSportsbook.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 26, 2023
FanDuel has the Lakers at +1600 odds to win the Western Conference behind the Phoenix Suns (+270), Denver Nuggets (+290), Memphis Grizzlies (+450), Golden State Warriors (+480) and Los Angeles Clippers (+1100).
Nobody knows for sure how the NBA playoffs are going to shape up this year just yet, but a healthy James gives the Lakers that much of a better situation to contend. At least Vegas seems to think so.