Lakers Now Have 4th-Shortest Odds Of Winning The NBA Championship

As recently as January 31st, the Los Angeles Lakers were considered a long shot to win the 2024-25 NBA Championship. They were in 4th place in the Western Conference at the time, but were still well behind the likes of the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Thunder when it came to their likelihood of taking home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

NBA Finals Odds: Lakers Down To +900 After Dominant Win

They still trail those teams on the odds boards, but the Lakers have closed the gap significantly thanks to their shocking blockbuster trade that brought in superstar Luka Doncic.

Los Angeles began the year with +3200 odds to win it all. That put them roughly on pace with teams like the Grizzlies and Warriors, and well behind the Suns, Bucks, and Mavericks. But even before the Doncic trade, LeBron James and company exceeded early expectations, and jumped out to a 28-19 record. Their championship odds remained roughly the same, though, as the powerhouse NBA teams kept their designations as the favorites to win it all.

But given their monumental roster shift, as well as their dominant road win over a Western Conference contender on Saturday night, the Lakers now have the 4th-shortest odds of any NBA team to win the title this coming June.

Dub in Denver pic.twitter.com/pA9rUmJCu1

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 23, 2025

As of Sunday morning, Los Angeles is listed at +900. It represents a huge jump up the board, as they have now surpassed teams including the Nuggets, Knicks, and Grizzlies. The Celtics (+220) and Thunder (+230) are still considered to be the heavy favorites, but the Lakers are one of the four teams with designations lower than +1000. The other team between them and the top is the Cavaliers (+650).

Their potential success of course rests heavily on how they perform in the playoffs, but their win over the Nuggets on national TV showed that the transition of bringing in Doncic has been rather seamless. He and James combined to score 57 points, and each finished with 9+ rebounds and 5+ assists on the night as well. The Lakers won by a score of 123-100.

They’ll be tested down the stretch, though. The Lakers have the third-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, with two more games against each of the Thunder and Nuggets still looming, and still have to see the Celtics, Knicks, and Grizzlies as well.

Their next game will be played against the Mavericks on Tuesday.