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The LA Lakers swept their assignments in West Group A of the NBA In-Season Tournament after drubbing the Utah Jazz, 131-99, on Tuesday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. In effect, the Lakers also advanced to the tournament playoffs.
The question right now, though, is whether the Lakers can finish the job and become the inaugural winners of the "NBA Cup". Recent odds suggest they could.
According to The Game Day, the Lakers have the third-best odds to rule the NBA In-Season Tournament at plus-600, that is, a $100 bet could win you $600.
The best odds at the moment, though, belong to the Boston Celtics at plus-310. They are 2-0 in East Group C and 11-2 overall in the NBA regular season. The Milwaukee Bucks, also 2-0 in the NBA In-Season Tournament but in East Group B, have the second-best odds at plus-475.
The Denver Nuggets, the defending NBA league champions, have the fourth-best odds at plus-800. Meanwhile, the vastly improved Minnesota Timberwolves are the fifth favorites at plus-950, while Sacramento is sixth in projection at plus-1600.
The rest of the NBA field has odds of plus-2000 or more, virtually meaning they are among the long shots to win it all. Take note, though, that The Game Day's latest update happened before the five-game Tuesday night schedule, so expect the odds to shake up in the next update.
Lakers manhandle Jazz to sweep NBA In-Season Tournament Group Stages
The Los Angeles Lakers wasted no time in dealing the Utah Jazz a 131-99 blowout to complete a 4-0 sweep of West Group A play in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting, 16 rebounds, four assists and two steals. D'Angelo Russell added 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting including 3-of-4 on threes, three rebounds, eight assists, and one block.
LeBron James made history, as the NBA's all-time leading scorer became the first to score 39,000 career points, eventually finishing with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting alongside seven rebounds and nine assists.
The bench mob got more playing time, and that led to the second-stringers also scoring significantly.
Austin Reaves, who let go of his starting shooting guard spot for the game in favor of Taurean Prince, put up 19 points. Christian Wood added 16; Rui Hachimura made 12, while Jaxson Hayes chipped in 10.
