Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
Carrying a sizable lead in the Western Conference standings heading into the NBA restart, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are pegged as betting favorites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com as they return to the hardwood Thursday night against the L.A. Clippers at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on the Walt Disney World grounds in Orlando, Florida.
Clippers vs Lakers | OddsShark Matchup Report
The Lakers held a 5.5-game lead on the Clippers in the Western Conference standings when the league came to an abrupt halt back in March due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. That has them in line to earn the conference’s top seed when the playoffs begin.
For Thursday night the Lakers are listed as 4.5-point favorites at sports betting sites, with the OVER/UNDER total set at 216 points. The Lakers are expected to have Anthony Davis (eye) in the lineup on Thursday after he went through a full practice on Wednesday. The Clippers will be without the services of both Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams.
These two rivals last met back on March 8, when the Lakers pulled out a 112-103 victory as 2.5-point underdogs in an UNDER result for totals bettors. The Clippers, though, both won and picked up the ATS victory in the first two meetings of the season between the teams back in October and December.
Overall, the Lakers are just 4-6 both straight up and ATS in their last 10 matchups dating back to November 2017. The O/U was an even 5-5 in that span.
Along with being favorites for Thursday night, the Lakers are also overall favorites on the updated odds to win the NBA championship. The Lakers are the +200 chalk on those betting futures, putting them just ahead of the +280 Milwaukee Bucks on that list, and the +300 Clippers. The Boston Celtics (+1200) and Houston Rockets (+1400) round out the top five.
NBA teams will play eight seeding games prior to getting the league’s playoffs underway in August. The Lakers are next in action on Saturday night against the defending-champion Toronto Raptors. Their postseason tuneup then continues with matchups against the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings over the next couple of weeks.
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