Lakers’ first-round loss wrecks betting public

The betting public got burned by the Lakers’ first-round flameout against the Timberwolves.

Always one of the most popular franchises to bet on, Lakers backers took it to another level in the hours and days after the Luka Doncic trade in early February. 

Los Angeles shifted from 40/1 to win the 2025 NBA Championship down to 14/1 at BetMGM Sportsbook after the blockbuster deal, ending up at 10/1, the fourth-best odds in the league, before the first round tipped off in mid-April. 

The Lakers had the most bets (16.2 percent of tickets) and the second-highest handle (15.4 percent) behind the Celtics (17.1 percent) at BetMGM. 

More than a quarter of the money at FanDuel Sportsbook was on the Lakers to win it all, per ESPN. 

Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Round 1 Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NBAE via Getty Images

Against Minnesota, the Lakers opened as a heavy -160 favorite — and bettors still came pouring in. 

Before Game 1, the Lakers had a whopping 96 percent of the handle and 65 of bets to win the series at BetMGM. 

Now, their season is over, and the betting public’s wallet got a little thinner. 

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The Thunder (+140) remain the favorites to win the title at ESPN BET, followed by the Celtics (+195) and Cavaliers (+500). 

The Timberwolves are currently +2000 to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy, which are the fifth-best odds on the board.