Buy or Sell: Los Angeles Lakers Win Western Conference

After the NBA’s trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers have continued to go on a run, and they’re now just one win away from the Western Conference Finals. At the time, there were definite question marks about whether or not the moves they made at the trade deadline would work out. Not only did they help them qualify for the NBA Play-In tournament, but also helped them make a deep run once they got in. 

On his podcast, we’ve heard Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green say that this is a different LeBron James, and the Warriors haven’t quite been able to figure him out. We won’t turn this into a GOAT debate, but that’s what the all-time greats do. They find new ways to beat you, exactly what LeBron has done with this Lakers team.

LA added D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt, kept Austin Reaves, and continued to give him a more significant role. They also added Rui Hachimura and Mo Bamba to the fold. We don’t want to say that subtracting Russell Westbrook was a net positive, but it gave other players touches on their second unit. It allowed the team to be more efficient defensively, which is one of the biggest reasons they made a run in the regular season’s second half. 

Heading into action on Wednesday, the Lakers control their series with the Warriors, leading 3-1. The Denver Nuggets also picked up a victory on a Tuesday night to take a 3-2 series lead over the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers hold the second-shortest odds to win the West at +150, where they sit behind only the Western Conferences’ top seed in the Nuggets at +110.

If the Lakers can advance to the WCF, they’ll have their work cut out for them, whether the Nuggets or Suns. Regardless, LA has proven they’re once again a legitimate championship contender. After a poor start to the season and a year to forget in 2022, it was hard to see a bounce-back campaign like this transpiring. 

Let’s get one thing straight. Betting against King James and Anthony Davis isn’t something you’ll find a lot of comfort in. They came out on top and won Los Angeles a championship in the bubble, and they’re capable of doing that again in 2023, especially with the top seed in the NBA already having gone down in the Milwaukee Bucks. In saying that, this Denver team is for real in the West and can win in so many different ways, especially at home. It will be difficult for LA to take down either the Suns or Nuggets, meaning we’re selling the odds of the Lakers winning the West, with their run in Tinsel Town coming to an end sooner than later.