A Quick Glance at the Los Angeles Lakers NBA Team
The Lakers are one of the most successful NBA franchises of all-time. Here's a look at their postseason success:
| 👑 Finals Championships: | 17 |
| ⭐ Finals Appearances: | 32 |
| 🏆 Conference Championships: | 19 |
| 👀 Conference Championship Appearances: | 24 |
Los Angeles Lakers Odds 2023-2024: NBA Finals Odds, Western Conference Odds, and More
After getting their heads handed to them by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals last season, losing 4-0 in a sweep, it makes sense that Los Angeles is not among the top Western Conference favorites despite a slew of offseason moves that should make them a much better team.
The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets are currently co-favorites for the 2024 NBA Championship, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns right behind them. Each of these teams, with the exception of Denver, made moves to add marquee talent to their rosters.
Here are some futures odds for the 2023-2024 Los Angeles Lakers season, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
| Win Total | 42.5 |
| Lakers To Make The Playoffs | +118 |
| Lakers To Miss The Playoffs | -144 |
| Lakers To Make The Play-In Tournament | -430 |
| Lakers To Win The Pacific Division | +12000 |
| Lakers To Win The Western Conference | +2700 |
| Lakers To Win The 2024 NBA Finals | +5000 |
| ✅ Odds Last Verified | February 6, 2024 |
Compared to a few weeks ago, the Lakers' projected win total has dropped by four full games on FanDuel, going from 46.5 to 42.5. Their current playoff odds have the Lakers as slight underdogs to make the playoffs, although they are heavy favorites for the play-in tournament.
Looking at the Lakers' betting odds, it seems as though sportsbooks are projecting LA to be one of the four Western Conference play-in teams but to not advance to the actual playoffs.
2023 Lakers Team Preseason Projections
The Lakers play in the toughest division in the NBA, the Pacific, which produced the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th seeds last season. The Lakers finished last in the division but were just five games behind the first-place Sacramento Kings.
This means two things heading into the 2023-24 season: You will need to stock up on coffee if you are an East Coast fan who wants to be able to see all of the best Western Conference games, and your best bets will be made by waiting until 15 minutes before tipoff to see exactly who is in uniform and who is undergoing load management. The dirty little secret in the NBA is that the regular season is mostly meaningless, with 20 of the 30 teams qualifying for the play-in or the playoffs.
Sharp gamblers know this and make their game wagers accordingly. Sharp gamblers also know that sportsbooks typically update their individual player futures odds (such as James or Davis for MVP) at 9 a.m. Las Vegas time, which gives an edge to early risers.
We know the Lakers will be good. Exactly how good remains to be seen as injuries and unexpected happenstances always change the equation.
Latest Lakers News
It would be going overboard to say there is never a dull day in Lakerland, especially when it comes to trying to put the pieces around James to get him a sixth championship. But you get the point.
Here are the most important and most recent updates surrounding the Lakers:
- 📆 January 26, 2024: Cam Reddish will miss at least two weeks due to an ankle sprain.
- 📆 January 25, 2024: With their win over Chicago, the Lakers are back to a .500 record. D'Angelo Russell posted 29 points and has now led the Lakers in scoring in three straight games.
- 📆 December 27, 2023: Gabe Vincent underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will be reevaluated in eight weeks.
- 📆 December 9, 2023: Lakers win the In-Season Tournament beating the Indiana Pacers 123-109.
- 📆 October 21, 2023: Taurean Prince will start the season opener in place of Jarred Vanderbilt who is dealing with a heel injury.
- 📆 October 13, 2023: Lakers' rookie Hood-Schifino will miss the season opener with a right patella contusion.
- 📆 September 18, 2023: Re-signed Jarred Vanderbilt to a veteran extension.
- 📆 September 6, 2023: Signed Wood as an unrestricted free agent.
- 📆 July 6, 2023: Signed unrestricted free agents Cam Reddish (Trail Blazers), Jaxson Hayes (Pelicans), and Gabe Vincent (Heat) to multi-year contracts.
- 📆 July 6, 2023: Re-signed free agents Taurean Prince and Austin Reaves.
- 📆 June 22, 2023: Selected Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana University) with the 17th overall pick in the NBA draft.
- 📆 June 22, 2023: Acquired the draft rights to Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine) from Denver as part of a four-team deal in which they surrendered the 47th pick (to Indiana).
If you think Rob Pelinka is done tinkering with this roster, we should remind you that Pelinka was once one of the most powerful agents in the entire NBA. If there is a player unhappy in his current situation who could help the Lakers, especially at center, he will kick the tires on a deal at a minimum. So bookmark this page for all the latest Lakers news throughout the 2023-24 NBA season.
Key Contributors on the Lakers Roster
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both going to average in the mid-to-high 20s in terms of points per game, but what bears watching is how many games they can manage to play together. James has not played a full 82-game slate since his final season with the Cavaliers in 2017-18, and Davis has never played in more than 62 games during his four seasons with the Lakers. Both are worthy MVP candidates (with enticing prices) if they are able to stay healthy for an entire season. That, in turn, would make Darvin Ham a worthy Coach of the Year candidate if the Lakers could rise from seventh last season to No. 1 or No. 2 in the West.
Rui Hachimura could overtake Jarred Vanderbilt for the starting power forward position, and the depth at that position now that Christian Wood is aboard should preclude any of them from playing enough minutes to win the Sixth Man Award. But when it comes to Most Improved Player, keep an eye on those futures odds because the eventual winner often has very high odds prior to the season. That was the case with Lauri Markkanen last season.
Where Can I Bet on the Lakers?
There are nearly two dozen online sportsbooks operating across the United States in states where sports gambling has been legalized, although California is not yet one of them after voters defeated a referendum that would have legalized it. Crossing state lines to Arizona, Nevada or Oregon is unfortunately the only option for residents of the Golden State who want to place legal wagers on the Lakers.
Making matters more frustrating for those who want to place bets is the fact that California sportsbook apps don't appear to be anywhere close to becoming a reality, making the wait even longer than it already has been.
Los Angeles Lakers 2023 Schedule: Top Games
As any member of Lakers Nation will tell you, there are 82 extraordinarily important games prior to the playoffs. Hey, that is just how they roll in El Lay. If the purple and gold are playing, movie and TV show productions stop, traffic flows freely on Interstate 5 and everyone channels their inner Jack Nicholson (minus the courtside seat).
Here are a handful of Lakers games that will be circled on nearly every NBA fan's calendar.
Oct. 24, 2023 - Lakers at Denver, 7:30 p.m. EST, TNT
This is the night when the Denver players will get their championship rings, the very first game of the 2023-24 season. We will quickly learn whether Hayes or Wood has any success defending Nikola Jokic, who ended last season looking like the most unstoppable force in basketball history. Keep an eye out for bad blood between coaches Darvin Ham and Michael Malone.
Dec. 25, 2023 - Boston at Los Angeles, 5 p.m. EST, ESPN
After everyone is finished unwrapping presents and prepping for dinner, the main course of the Christmas Day NBA feast is served up as these longtime rivals will meet for the first time this season.
March 26, 2024 - Los Angeles at Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m. EST, TNT
As the season winds down, the Lakers play Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to start a six-game road trip that also will take them to Memphis, Indiana, Brooklyn, Toronto, and Washington. This is when we will start to see whether they can break into something resembling playoff mode as the season winds down.
How to Watch the Lakers
The Lakers will make 17 appearances on ABC and ESPN, 11 on TNT, and 12 on NBA TV. All of their games are available on NBA League Pass and/or the NBA App, and local broadcasts are carried by Spectrum SportsNet.
How to Get Lakers Tickets
It ain't easy, but TicketMaster is usually the best way to go when tickets are made available to the public, and there are several secondary market sites that will charge you an arm and a leg for the privilege of attending. For those close to downtown Los Angeles, you can line up at the ticket window early on game day to get tickets that were surrendered by season-ticket holders.
Where do the Lakers Play?
The Lakers play their home games at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. For more than two decades, this was known as the iconic Staples Center prior to being renamed in December 2021. As many NBA fans know, this arena is shared between the Lakers and the Clippers.
Los Angeles Lakers FAQs
Author
Chris Sheridan is a veteran NBA writer who has been covering the league since 1992, with a specialty in international basketball after being credentialed for every Olympics since 1996 in Atlanta. He has been covering sports gambling since 2018.
