The LA Clippers, potentially for the first time in franchise history, are the favorite to win the NBA title.
With the acquisitions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Caesars Sportsbook on Saturday morning transferred the Clippers from 10-1 to 11-4 to win the 2019-20 NBA name, ahead of their rival Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers, who had been in the running to signal Leonard, had been the consensus 2020 title favorite since obtaining Anthony Davis to play LeBron James. Together with Leonard off the desk, the Lakers dropped from 7-5 to 4-1 at the Caesars Sportsbook.
The Milwaukee Bucks, at 4-1, have the best odds at the Eastern Conference, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers at 7-1.
The Golden State Warriors are 10-1, followed with the Utah Jazz at 14-1. The Houston Rockets are 15-1, and the Brooklyn Nets are 20-1.
The defending champion Toronto Raptors, together with the loss of Leonard, fell from 10-1 to 50-1. After dropping George, the Oklahoma City Thunder saw their chances drop to 100-1.
Odds varied from book to book. Bookmaker William Hill U.S. kept the Lakers as the favorite at 3-1, with the Clippers in 7-2. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook had the Clippers as a 3-1 favorite and lengthened the Lakers’ chances to 6-1, supporting the Bucks at 4-1.
Within the last several weeks, large bets have come in on the Lakers in sportsbooks around Las Vegas. The SuperBook reported carrying a $10,000 bet on the Lakers to win the title at 5-1 on June 15 and another $10,000 bet at 7-4 on July 1. William Hill U.S. reported carrying a $9,500 bet on the Lakers at 5-1 on June 17 plus a $10,000 bet on the Lakers on June 28.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 47 percent of the cash that was wagered on William Hill’s chances to win the 2020 NBA championship was on the Lakers. At Caesars, almost five times as much money was wager on the Lakers than had been wagered on another team.
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