The Los Angeles Lakers have been pretty inconsistent this season.
They looked like a big threat during the In-Season Tournament, but they have struggled to keep that same defensive intensity for most of the campaign.
They’ve alternated big wins with head-scratching losses, and you never know what version of them you’re going to get.
Notably, that might not be much of a surprise to a particular bettor.
According to the Action Network, someone actually placed a $50K wager on the Lakers missing the playoffs.
This unnamed bettor could be looking at a $150,000 payout if the Lakers keep sliding, as they’re currently in ninth place.
A bettor @BetMGM has $50K to win $150K on the Lakers to miss the playoffs (+300) from before the season started…
They currently sit at 9th in the Western Conference with 26 games to play ? pic.twitter.com/TcdFvIBT7n
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) February 22, 2024
The Lakers currently sit 1.5 games ahead of the Golden State Warriors and would be a play-in team if the season ended right now.
They’re two games behind the Sacramento Kings, and 9.5 games behind the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves.
Of course, there’s always the chance that this team gets on a big run.
You can never count out a team featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and with the Lakers leading the league in free-throw attempts by a significant margin, the referees might also give them a helping hand more often than not.
The league definitely doesn’t want LeBron and the Lakers to miss the playoffs, either.
However, from a basketball perspective, they’re not a better team than most of the teams ahead of them, nor are they better coached.
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