NBA weekly betting trends: Lakers not ready for Showtime
By Jeff Glauser
Remember when the Los Angeles Lakers were the marquee franchise of the NBA?
Those days are long gone. The Lakers have been one of the worst bets in the NBA this season with a 20-27-1 against the spread mark, according to SportsBookReview. They are 16-32 overall, and 5Dimes Sportsbook currently lists them at a mere +50,000 odds to win the championship.
On Sunday, the Lakers were embarrassed 122-73 at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, who are far from a powerhouse. It was the largest margin of defeat in Lakers history and came exactly 11 years to the day from when Kobe Bryant had his historic 81-point game on Jan. 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors.
It seems like forever ago now, but this team was 7-5 at one point and first-year head coach Luke Walton was being trumpeted as an early Coach of the Year favorite. Walton is doing his best but has had to manage through a compilation of injuries, poorly-placed veterans on the downswing and raw youth.
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While the Lakers are usually competitive at home (11-13), they are just 5-19 on the road. This week, Los Angeles visits the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday and the Utah Jazz on Thursday before returning home next Tuesday against the Washington Wizards. They will not be favored in any of those contests. After that, the team plays seven of its next eight on the road. Thus, it will likely be a while longer until there is any celebrating worth note in La La Land.
There could be one bright spot to all this losing: the Lakers will keep their 2017 draft pick if it’s in the top 3. Otherwise, it goes to the Philadelphia 76ers. This year’s draft is expected to be one of the best in years. So perhaps it’s wise to let future cornerstone guard D’Angelo Russell take all the time he needs to heal.
So what you do say we blow this whole thing down? The Lakers would be wise to be active in the trade market as a seller. Lou Williams, Nick Young and Luol Deng are not part of their long-term plans and may fetch something of value from a contender.