Trent Reinsmith
- Los Angeles Lakers (+190) remain the favorites to win the Western Conference, but Warriors (+350) and Jazz (+325) are gaining
- Denver (+1000) remains an intriguing longshots to win the West
- Houston’s chances (+50000) have plummeted since the start of the 2021-22 NBSA season
The Los Angeles Lakers were the +190 favorites to win the NBA’s Western Conference at the start of the 2021 season. However, the Lakers are 5-5 at the 10-game point of the season and have dropped to +310. They are still the favorite to win the conference, but the Golden State Warriors (8-1) and the Utah Jazz (7-3) have picked up significant ground on the Lakers.
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2022 Western Conference Odds
What’s ailing the Lakers?
The Lakers stand at 5-5 in the early going of the 2021-22 NBA season, but for a team that was picked to dominate the NBA this year, the club can’t be happy with the fact that its offense is ranked No. 20 in the league and its defense checks in at No. 14. The club ranks 11th in points per game (110.1), and rebounds per game (45.9) and 10th in assists per game (23.8). As for opponent scoring, the Lakers are allowing an average of 111.3 points per game, which ranks them 27th.
One thing the Lakers can point to for their troubles are injuries. The team has been without Trevor Ariza, Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn all season and LeBron James has missed four games.
The injury excuse will buy the Lakers some grace and time, but if they don’t improve soon, the team will slip from their favored status.
With the underhand pass 👀 pic.twitter.com/7eB0MhiJzm
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 5, 2021
Golden State Surges
The Golden State Warriors were listed at +550 to win the Western Conference at the start of the 2021-22 season. They’ve cut that to +350 with a strong start and the troubles of the Lakers.
The Warriors have the No. 1 ranked offense and the No. 2 ranked defense in the league. Golden State has delivered, even while Klay Thompsom has been out of action. Thompson is expected to return to practice in November.
Golden State is a team that is playing well together and they will take advantage if the Lakers continue to struggle.
With this bucket, Stephen is now 100 threes away from passing Ray Allen for most career triples 💦
📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/4jA31Tq6Aq
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 8, 2021
Is Jazz cooling?
The Utah Jazz, who were +600 to win the Western Conference at the start of the 2021-22 campaign, improved to +325 according to BetOnline. with a 7-1 start. However, the club lost back-to-back games in early November to the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic during a three-game road trip. The loss to the Magic was particularly alarming as the team had a 10-point lead entering the final 12 minutes of the fourth quarter.
Utah has the No. 4 ranked offense in the NBA and the No. 7 ranked defense.
𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜 for 3️⃣#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/WGjmzO45Ti
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 8, 2021
A two game skid is not the end of the world for Utah, but they need to show they can recover from those losses and put them behind them.
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