The Los Angeles Lakers had been creeping up the odds to win the NBA title, although still significantly behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the West. But the Lakers' momentum came to a halt -- and their odds lengthened notably -- Friday, when reports surfaced that Luka Doncic would miss at least the rest of the regular season because of a Grade 2 hamstring injury. His availability for the playoffs is uncertain.
Then, things went from bad to worse Saturday when it was reported that the team's second leading scorer, Austin Reaves, would also miss four to six weeks with a Grade 2 oblique injury, all but ruling him out for the rest of the regular season and at least the beginning of the playoffs.
Upon news of Reaves' injury, DraftKings lengthened Los Angeles to 120-1 to win the NBA Finals and 80-1 to win the Western Conference. Before Friday, the Lakers had been 30-1 for the title and 15-1 for the conference, but the announcement of Doncic's injury plummeted them to 100-1 and 60-1, respectively.
The Lakers had been surging. Three weeks ago, they were 65-1 to win the title, but Doncic's tremendous March lifted Los Angeles into second-tier contender status. Now, though, with Doncic and Reaves sidelined indefinitely, the Lakers have the 11th-best title odds on the board.
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and are as of publication.