Trent Reinsmith
The Los Angeles Lakers were the +190 favorites to win the NBA’s Western Conference at the start of the 2021 season. The Lakers have slipped considerably. The team now finds itself at +600 and trailing the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz when it comes to potential winners of the 2021-22 NBA Western Conference. With the team at sixth place in the West as of this writing, it’s a bit of a surprise the Lakers haven’t dropped further down the board.
Meanwhile, the Warriors and Suns are holding down the top two spots in the NBA with some very inspired play as the NBA season hits the first quarter of the 2021-22 campaign
Before we look at the best teams in the NBA’s Western Conference, be sure to check out the best NBA betting sites and our NBA Finals betting guide.
2022 Western Conference Odds
No drop off in Phoenix
The Suns went to the NBA finals last season where the team lost a six-game series to the Milwaukee Bucks. Had the Suns came out of the gate slow this season it would have been understandable. And the Suns did stumble a bit in the opening days of the campaign, going 1-3. The club then righted itself and tore off a franchise record 18-game winning streak that ended on December 3 when the team dropped the second of two games in one week to the Golden State Warriors.
JaVale bringing the hammer 🔨 pic.twitter.com/Jn718mE87p
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 4, 2021
With how well the Suns have played, expect them to be in contention for a second straight Western Conference title.
Golden State Dominates
The Golden State Warriors were on the worst run of their season between November 30 and December 3. During that stretch the team went 1-2. The Warriors lost to the Suns before bouncing back to beat Phoenix. The Warriors followed that with a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Before that three game stretch, Golden State’s record was 18-2. With that, the Warriors have quite a bit of cushion to fall back on. However, the team is in the same division as the Suns, so they do not want to make a habit of losing.
swiiiiishhhhes by stephen 💧 pic.twitter.com/BT0yls8CmH
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 5, 2021
The Warriors and Suns face off for the third of four times this season on Christmas Day in Phoenix.
Lakers Stumble
The Los Angeles Lakers are a .500 team right now. That’s far from what was expected of them at the start of the season. One reason the Lakers have struggled is the LeBron James has only played in 11 of the team’s first 23 games. James might be getting older, but he is still a dominant force and the Lakers need him healthy and on the court. Another problem is that the Lakers can’t get things going on offense — the team ranks 23rd in scoring at this point in the season and with how much talent the team has, that’s not going to cut it. The oddsmakers still seem to be hanging some hope on Los Angeles, but if things don’t turn around soon, the Lakers could be an afterthought in the Western Conference in 2021-22.
Battle. pic.twitter.com/sKdo4bI4Rl
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 4, 2021
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