Will The Lakers Make The 2022 Playoffs? Odds Suggest Los Angeles Will Miss Postseason
The Los Angeles Lakers are probably not going to make the 2022 NBA playoffs. That’s what the latest betting odds indicate, at least, as L.A. attempts to turn its season around after the All-Star Break.
DraftKings Sportsbook gives the Lakers +105 odds to make the postseason. Los Angeles is a -135 favorite to miss the playoffs.
The Lakers exit the All-Star Break as the No. 9 seed in the West with 24 games left on the schedule. The West’s top six seeds at the end of the regular season get a spot in the final playoff picture. Teams seeded No. 7 through No. 10 compete in the play-in tournament for the last two postseason berths.
Los Angeles is 27-31. The Lakers haven’t had a winning record since Jan. 12.
The No. 6 seed Denver Nuggets are six games ahead of the Lakers in the standings. Barring a serious injury to reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, Los Angeles is unlikely to finish better than seventh in the conference.
The first 70% of Los Angeles’ schedule doesn’t inspire confidence that the team will turn things around. The trade for Russell Westbrook has been a disaster. Injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis have prevented the Lakers from going on a sustained run of success.
Davis is out for the foreseeable future because of a foot sprain he suffered on Feb. 16. Reports said Davis would be re-evaluated after four weeks, sidelining the big man until at least mid-March.
James has been on and off the court this season for various ailments, missing 17 total games. The 37-year-old has been unable to carry the Lakers, despite his MVP-level play.
If James were to miss any significant amount of time, the Lakers could fall out of the play-in tournament field.
The No. 10 seed Portland Trail Blazers are 2.5 games behind Los Angeles. The No. 11 seed San Antonio Spurs trail the Lakers by 4.5 games.
The No. 7 seed Minnesota Timberwolves have -525 odds to make the playoffs at DraftKings. The No. 8 seed Los Angeles Clippers are -165 favorites to make the playoffs, sitting 1.5 games ahead of the Lakers.
The Lakers made last year’s postseason as a play-in team. The Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors to clinch the No. 7 seed in the West.
Golden State was upset in its second play-in game and missed the postseason altogether.
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