LAS VEGAS — The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are now favored to square off in the NBA Finals, according to several sportsbooks in Las Vegas.
The Celtics are currently the consensus favorites at 5/4 to win the NBA championship, followed by the Lakers at 4/1, the Denver Nuggets at 17/4, Golden State Warriors at 9/1, Phoenix Suns at 12/1, Philadelphia 76ers at 20/1, Miami Heat at 20/1 and New York Knicks at 60/1.
Jeff Sherman, the vice president of risk management at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, tweeted the updated odds and explained “title odds at this point account for liabilities accrued over the season.”
While the Celtics have consistently been one of the best teams in the NBA this season after advancing to the NBA Finals last year, this is the first time in nearly two years that the Lakers have been the favorites to win Western Conference and play in the NBA Finals.
The Lakers were 33-49 and missed the playoffs last year and were 25-31 this season and trending in the same direction before the NBA trade deadline where they revamped their roster and added D’Angelo Russell, Jared Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba. Since then, the Lakers have been one of the best teams in the NBA.
The Lakers took a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals against the defending champion Warriors on Saturday with a dominant 127-97 win. The Lakers have won their last two home playoff games by a combined 70 points and have not lost on their homecourt since late March. The Celtics currently hold a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers.
If the Lakers and Celtics do meet in the NBA Finals, it would be for a record 13th time. Both the Lakers and Celtics are tied for the highest number of championships in the NBA at 17 apiece. They last met in the NBA Finals in 2010.
