Getty LeBron James, at left, and Giannis Antetokounmpo
If they were to meet in the NBA Finals, as things stand, the Bucks and Lakers would be slated for seven tight games—with Milwaukee, having homecourt advantage and a deeper roster, slated to bring home the franchise’s first championship in 49 years.
That’s according to SportsBetting.ag, an offshore gambling website that has posted NBA futures, highlighted by a potential Lakers-Bucks showdown. As the site’s lines makers see it, in a Milwaukee-Lakers showdown in the Finals, the home team would be favored in every game, beginning with the Bucks being favored by four points in the opener.
The website also has the two teams listed as the favorites to win the NBA championship, at minus-225. Even with some Eastern Conference upstarts showing some promise and with the Clippers and others lingering in the West, there is a sense that a Lakers-Bucks series would be inevitable if the NBA comes back to finish this year’s season.
As Warriors guard Steph Curry said on the “All The Smoke” podcast earlier in the year, “If I had to pick right now, it would be the Lakers and Milwaukee, just because they are playing the best right now. And I would watch every game of that series.”
Lakers-Bucks Finals Betting Breakdown
Here’s the breakdown of how the website would have the point spreads in each game. Note that the Lakers would be a 1.5-point favorite in Game 3 at Staples Center and would be 1-point favorites in their other two home games.
| Game | Matchup | Point Spread |
| 1 | Lakers @ Bucks | Bucks -4 |
| 2 | Lakers @ Bucks | Bucks -3.5 |
| 3 | Bucks @ Lakers | Lakers -1.5 |
| 4 | Bucks @ Lakers | Lakers -1 |
| 5 | Lakers @ Bucks | Bucks -4 |
| 6 | Bucks @ Lakers | Lakers -1 |
| 7 | Lakers @ Bucks | Bucks -3.5 |
That would reflect how things went during the regular season. Milwaukee beat the Lakers on their home floor in December, a game in which Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and LeBron James notched a triple-double (21 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists).
The Lakers got revenge at Staples Center on March 6, just five days before the season suspension because of the spreading of the coronavirus. James and Anthony Davis combined for 67 points in that game, shooting 22-for-45 from the field and 22-for-26 from the free-throw line.
For James, it was premature to view the game as a Finals preview. But the Lakers did clinch a playoff spot with the win and after the game, he took a big-picture view of where the Lakers are this season.
“I came here to put this team, this franchise back where they needed to be,” James told reporters. “The league is not what it is if the Lakers are not winning. That was one of my responsibilities and my goals when I came here last year.”
Optimism on July 1 NBA Return?
Of course, none of this may matter if the NBA is not able to get back on the floor at some point in the coming months. The state of California is under a shelter-in-place order from Gov. Gavin Newsom and Staples Center has been a hotbed for the spread of the virus among athletes. Two Lakers have tested positive for coronavirus, as well as four members of the Brooklyn Nets, who played at Staples Center on March 10.
Two other NHL players who were in Staples Center in the middle of the month tested positive, too.
The website also posted odds on the NBA playing again, and when. The league returning to action before June 1 is currently a 3-to-1 proposition. But a July 1 return gets nearly even odds: +125.
The NBA, especially the Lakers and Bucks, certainly hopes that is the case.
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