After raising the NBA Championship last season, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t envision themselves starting the upcoming playoffs as the seventh seed in the stacked Western Conference.
A season plagued with injuries to key members of the roster defined Los Angeles’ season, putting them in their current position.
Anthony Davis missed 36 games, equivalent to half of the shortened 72-game season, after injuring his calf in mid-February.
LeBron James missed 27 games, the most in one season in his 18-year career, after suffering an ankle sprain in late March.
Dennis Schroder, Alex Caruso and Marc Gasol were other notable members of the Lakers’ primary rotation that missed considerable time, so finding team chemistry between new teammates didn’t manifest smoothly.
Most of Los Angeles’ season after Davis and James went down involved the remainder of the squad to stay afloat and attempt to avoid the new play-in tournament.
However, the Lakers lost crucial tiebreakers to the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers, even after Davis returned to action, so attaining the seventh seed became their target.
With a win over the Golden State Warriors accomplished, the Lakers are focusing on taking down the Phoenix Suns, the second seed in the West.
Headlined by the star-studded backcourt in Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the Suns wiped away a 10-season playoff drought to leap to the upper echelon of the league.
Despite all of Phoenix’s accomplishments and the seeding disadvantage facing L.A., the betting odds are swinging towards Los Angeles.
On BetMGM, the Lakers are -150 favorites to win the series, while the Suns are +125 underdogs.
It’s been 30 years since the last seventh seed was favored to beat the second seed in the playoffs.
With the Lakers getting healthy at the right time, it’s not surprising to see them having the betting edge. A healthy L.A. roster can take on any team in the league, regardless of seeding.
Still, that shouldn’t discount the Suns’ chances. They have the right mix of scoring and defense to plow through any team they please, though this matchup will be tough for both sides.
