LeBron James’s move to the Lakers boosted Los Angeles’ playoff standing in the West, and it now looks like James has added to the Lakers’ popularity in Las Vegas as well.
The Lakers and Celtics have earned the most bets of any team to win the NBA Finals in Las Vegas sportsbooks according to ESPN’s David Purdum, blowing away the competition. Both Los Angeles and Boston have “drawn more than three times as many bets as had been placed on any other team,” per Purdum, with the Rockets coming in third place among bets taken.
Golden State is Vegas’ least-bet team, sporting -200 odds to win the championship.
Boston has 5-1 odds to win the Finals, the best of any Eastern Conference team. Los Angeles sits at 12-1. One heavily bet longshot? The Knicks, who are listed as high as 500-1.