Lakers Have Had 'Almost 4 Times More' Money in Bets Than Any Other Team to Win Title

With the NBA season set to tip off on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers have generated more money from bettors to win the championship than any other team in the league by a wide margin. 

Per ESPN's David Purdum, the Lakers have generated 51 percent of all dollars bet to win the 2021-22 NBA Finals at Caesars Sportsbook. 

"That's four times as much as has been bet on the Nets," Purdum wrote.

Purdum noted that even though the Lakers are generating a significant portion of the bets, the Brooklyn Nets are still the odds-on-favorite to win the championship at +230 (bet $100 to win $230). 

The Lakers are second at +400, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks at +1000. 

Jeff Sherman, who oversees NBA odds for the Westgate SuperBook, told Purdum the biggest bet on the Lakers came in at $100,000 with 7-2 odds after they acquired Russell Westbrook in August. 

There are a number of potential explanations for this Lakers lovefest from bettors. 

The Lakers have more name recognition than any other franchise in the NBA, so people will naturally keep a close eye on them. They are led by LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook, three of the biggest stars in the league right now. 

As long as James and Davis stay healthy, the Lakers are going to be able to compete with anyone. Westbrook is a wild card, but they don't need him to be great and win. 

There's also a lot of uncertainty around several other Western Conference contenders. The Utah Jazz were the No. 1 seed last year, but lost in the second round to a Los Angeles Clippers team that didn't have Kawhi Leonard for the final two games of the series. 

The Clippers may not even have Leonard at all this season after he underwent surgery in July to repair a partially torn ACL. The Denver Nuggets are in a similar position with Jamal Murray, who had ACL surgery in April. 

The Phoenix Suns went to the NBA Finals, but they were losing their first-round series to the Lakers before Davis injured his groin in Game 4. The Golden State Warriors need Klay Thompson to play at an All-Star level after missing the previous two seasons with injuries. 

The Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks each have a legitimate MVP candidate on their roster, but the talent supporting Damian Lillard and Luka Doncic are major question marks. 

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the Nets are at least going to start the season without Kyrie Irving because he is refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. They also have to deal with the prospect of going up against the defending champion Bucks. 

Even though the Philadelphia 76ers are a powder keg ready to explode at any moment given the ongoing situation with Ben Simmons, other contenders like the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks could emerge as solid playoff threats. 

The Chicago Bulls invested a lot of money in free agency with the hope of becoming a playoff team. The Indiana Pacers should be better under head coach Rick Carlisle. The Miami Heat added Kyle Lowry to their roster after a disappointing 2020-21 season. 

There are so many storylines in the NBA as the season is set to begin. All of the questions will begin to be answered on Tuesday night when the Nets take on the Bucks and Lakers host the Warriors.