The NBA champion Lakers are on the drift in the outright betting for the 2021 NBA Championship after losing to the Clippers on the opening night of the new campaign.
The Lakers now find themselves priced at 14/5 from 5/2 with the majority of bookies, to go on and win the NBA Championship.
Fractional odds are popular among British bookies, but if you prefer the decimal version, that means the Lakers are now 3.8 in the betting, compared to 3.5 just a couple of days ago.
Although they are still favorites for a record-breaking 18th NBA Championship title, it’s hardly the dream start that Lakers head coach Frank Vogel would have been hoping for.
Clippers Victory
The Clippers won by virtue of Paul George scoring 26 of his 33 points in the second half and Kawhi Leonard, 22/1 to be MVP, contributing 26 points.
Despite being given their championship rings before the game, the Lakers never led at any point in the match and at the end of the first quarter, the Clippers had a 22-point advantage.
LeBron James attempted to spearhead his side’s revival with 22 points. The defeat signals the second successive year in which the Clippers have defeated the Lakers in the seasonal opener.
As a result, the Clippers have been trimmed slightly by the bookies. The Clippers now find themselves as 6/1 shots for the NBA Championship, after previously being 7/1 before victory over the Lakers.
The success of the Clippers has shaken up the betting for the Western Conference. The Lakers, who now play the Mavericks on Boxing Day are out to 13/8, while the Clippers, who take on the Nuggets next time, are in to 33/10.
Brooklyn Nets’ Win Over Warriors
Elsewhere on the opening night, the Brooklyn Nets romped to a 125-99 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 26 points, including 10 of 16 from the field and four from seven at the three-point line. He also contributed with four assists and four rebounds in his first appearance since February 1.
Nets teammate Kevin Durant, 13/1 to be named MVP at the end of the season, went seven of 16 shooting and netted all seven of his free throws for his 22 points, as well as five rebounds and three assists. That marked his competitive debut for the Nets after missing last season through an Achillies injury that was originally picked up in 2019 NBA Finals at Golden State.
It wasn’t just the players on court that fired the Nets to victory either, as Caris LeVert made an impact when coming off the bench to score 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists, helping Steve Nash’s side to lead by as many as 38 points at one stage.
The Nets’ victory means that they are now into second favorites for the NBA Championship with some firms. They are as short as 6/1 in some places, while the Golden State Warriors have something of a point to prove as 30/1 shots for the title.
It’s a similar story in the betting for the Eastern Conference with the Brooklyn Nets now 14/5 to win the section, with the Warriors at 14/1 to be top of the tree in the Western Conference.
