NBA: Lakers & Warriors Underdogs to Make the NBA Playoffs

The days of LeBron James and Stephen Curry dominating the NBA and cruising to the playoffs might be over. Arguably the two biggest stars in the league, James and Curry are currently underdogs to even make the playoffs. The postseason is right around the corner. Will the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors miss the playoffs?

The Los Angeles Lakers could miss the playoffs after winning the in-season tournament

LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers had a solid start to the season. The Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament trophy. They defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the final on December 9. Three months later, the in-season tournament champs are in danger of missing the playoffs. The Lakers are now slight underdogs to make the playoffs, not including the play-in tournament, on BetMGM. The Lakers currently have +130 odds to earn a spot in the playoffs. They have -155 odds to miss the playoffs.

FIRST-EVER IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 🏆

The Los Angeles Lakers lift the #NBACup 🙌 pic.twitter.com/8tlF9EKqwu

— NBA (@NBA) December 10, 2023

The Lakers have a 22-22 record since winning the in-season tournament and are the ninth seed in the west at the moment. Overall, the Lakers have a 36-31 record, two wins ahead of the Golden State Warriors and two wins behind the Dallas Mavericks. With 15 games left on their schedule, they still have a shot at the number six seed in the west, enough to secure a playoff berth and avoid the play-in tournament. They will play a bunch of teams that currently have a playoff spot to close the season. They still have games left against the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Orleans Pelicans.

Could Stephen Curry and the Warriors also miss the playoffs?

The Warriors are in the same boat as the Lakers. At +140, Stephen Curry and the Warriors are underdogs to make the playoffs. Many in the NBA world were intrigued by the Warriors heading into the season thanks to the addition of star point guard Chris Paul. But inconsistency and players missing games has hurt their season so far. The Warriors currently have -165 odds to miss the playoffs. They are the 10th seed in the west right now and have a 34-31 record.

For context, the eighth seed Mavericks have -375 odds to make the playoffs. The 7th seed Phoenix Suns are at -400, the sixth seed Sacramento Kings at -550, and the fifth seed Pelicans are at -650 to make the playoffs. All of these teams are within five wins of each other.

It might come down to the play-in tournament

Right now, it looks like the Pelicans, Kings, Suns, Mavericks, Lakers, and Warriors are the teams that will most likely find themselves in the play-in tournament, the Houston Rockets are barely hanging on at 31-35. If the Lakers and Warriors can not get into the top six in the west, they will need to beat one or two of these teams to make the playoffs.

🏆 PLAYOFF PICTURE 🏆

32 days from the #SoFiPlayIn.

36 days from the #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel. pic.twitter.com/iD8M84t7qS

— NBA (@NBA) March 15, 2024

If the season ended today, the Lakers would play against the Warriors in the first round of the tournament. The winner would go on to play against either the Mavericks or Suns for the number eight spot in the west. BetMGM is taking bets on which team will make the play-in tournament. The Mavericks have -200 odds to make the tournament. The Suns have the second best odds in the west at -185. The Kings have +115 odds. The Pelicans are at +160. A couple of other NBA betting sites are also taking bets.