Lakers' chances of winning the NBA Championship have taken a direct hit with LeBron's injury.
The Los Angeles Lakers were aiming to continue their winning momentum when they locked horns with the Boston Celtics on Saturday, March 8. They were coming on the back of an eight-game winning streak, and were hopeful to extend it. However, things didn’t go as planned for the Lakers, as they suffered a 111-101 loss to the Celtics.
It was a neck-to-neck competition till the second half. However, the game started to slip off from the Lakers, when their star player LeBron James sustained a groin injury. The 40-year-old, who recently reached 50,000 career-point milestone, was forced to walk out of the game in the fourth quarter and missed the remainder of the game.
While James seemed to be optimistic about the injury, the latest update says that he will be expected to miss a few weeks of action. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the 21-time All-Star will be out for one to two weeks. The report further said that he will undergo another evaluation within 24 hours once the injury calms down.
However, Shams also stated that the injury is not as serious as the one he suffered in 2018, when he was forced to miss 17 games with the Lakers. Charania confirmed, “Unlike in 2018 when LeBron James had that groin tear, I’m told he did not hear a pop last night in Boston.”
James’ absence had an instant impact in the Celtics game as the Lakers’ flow came to an abrupt end and they ended up losing the game.
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The Lakers entered the season with the odds of +1800 to win the Western Conference Championship as per BetMGM. Thanks to a strong run, their odds improved to +670 and have now shortened to +500.
However, their odds of winning the NBA Championship have gotten a big blow following LeBron James’ injury. As per Polymarket, the Lakers’ odds to lift the title trophy have dropped significantly. They now hold only 8% chances to win the championship.
Odds via BetMGM
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