LeBron James Carrying Lakers Back Up NBA Championship Odds Standings

The Los Angeles Lakers don’t have Anthony Davis, are 4-6 in their last 10 games, yet have won two in a row. Apparently, that’s all Las Vegas needed to put their faith in them again. 

WynnBET has moved the Lakers’ championship odds have moved back up to +600, which is twice as short as what it was last week. The Lakers have beaten the Trail Blazers and the Timberwolves in their last two games and have a matchup with the Sacramento Kings tomorrow night. 

Even with the Lakers being short handed, the only reason I can see why the oddsmakers trust L.A. again is because LeBron James is playing like the best player in the world.

James has gone to another level in the last week or so. Going into the Timberwolves game, he was averaging 36 points, 10.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. He’s showing that even at 37 years old, he can carry a team and put them in a position to win games. 

Currently, the Lakers are 19-19 and in the seventh seed. However, they are only one game out of the No. 5 seed and could possibly make a run at home court advantage in the first round. In the last five games, Los Angeles is third in the league in offensive rating. Their offense, which has been completely powered by James, is now thriving and is on the cusp of getting key shooters back to space the floor. 

LeBron James-led teams always have a measure of drama attached to them, but this Lakers squad is reminiscent of the 2018 Cleveland Cavaliers that shipped a majority of the team out at the trade deadline. 

The one constant is James’ amazing play. This time he has two all-stars with him to lighten the load when the playoffs begin to approach. If James keeps playing like this – and the Lakers put wins together – expect their odds to get a lot shorter and closer to where they were at the beginning of the year.