#Lakers an NBA playoffs bargain thanks to Las Vegas love for Trail Blazers

However, none of these series were played in a “bubble” at a neutral site. The lack of a home-court advantage could mean chalk isn’t necessarily a foregone conclusion to hold serve, especially in the Western Conference, where the series prices are closer as a whole than in the East. Here’s a look at the Western matchups (William Hill odds):

1. Los Angeles Lakers (-475) vs. 8. Portland Trail Blazers ( 380)

The Lakers won two of the three regular-season meetings and all three games (249, 248 and 246 combined points) were high-scoring affairs. Portland, behind Bubble MVP Damian Lillard, has been on a roll and has won four in a row to get into the playoffs. Their offensive firepower is getting a lot of respect from oddsmakers as you wouldn’t ordinarily see the No. 1 seed as only -475 in the first round. The Lakers went 3-5 in the bubble but already had clinched the top seed two weeks ago. The Blazers are certainly potent offensively but they are facing the West’s best defense in terms of points allowed (107.6 ppg). Portland allows the most points of any team left in the playoffs and has the worst 3-point defense. Portland may have enough to get a game. If you don’t want to lay -475, although cheap for a No. 1 seed, the Lakers are currently 275 to sweep Portland and 225 to win in five, which is the most likely result.

4. Rockets (-145) vs. 5. Thunder ( 125)

This series is the biggest coin flip of the first round and is now even tighter with Russell Westbrook dealing with a strained quad and missing the start of the playoffs for Houston. Oklahoma City was around a 300 underdog before the Westbrook news. The Thunder won the past two meetings, both in January, as their three-guard lineup of Chris Paul, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and Dennis Schröder, who returned to the bubble a few days ago after the birth of his second child, has given Houston fits. OKC ranks second in the NBA in fourth quarter net rating. Houston is the deeper team but Mike D’Antoni, not prone to going too deep into his bench, will have to change his rotations early on. The value has been extracted here from the Thunder, so the best bet is to wait and see if Houston wins Game 1 and then come back with the Thunder on the adjusted price.

3. Denver Nuggets (-290) vs. 6. Utah Jazz ( 245)

The Nuggets won all three meetings during the regular season, including a 134-132 2OT victory a week ago Saturday. Utah’s Rudy Gobert is considered the best post defender in the league but he gets help from his perimeter defenders funneling guards into the paint. Stopping Nikola Jokic, who has averaged nearly a triple double (29 points, 12 rounds and 9 assists) against the Jazz this season, one-on-one is a more herculean task. Denver has been missing Gary Harris and Will Barton of late (although Michael Porter Jr.’s emergence has softened the blow), which is a major reason they rated as bubble’s worst defense (120 points per 100 possessions) and head coach Michael Malone has lamented giving up 16 to 17 threes every night. Nevertheless, Utah is without its best outside shooter in Bojan Bogdanovic and will need to make a lot of 3s to win this series. The value is in Denver to win the series in 6 ( 325) or 7 ( 400) games.

2. Los Angeles Clippers (-600) vs. 7. Dallas Mavericks ( 450)

The Clippers are the biggest favorite in the West for the first roundand they are the current slight favorite at Westgate Superbook USA to win the title at 11/4. This is the first playoff series for most of this Dallas roster including superstar guard Luka Doncic. The Clippers won all three regular season meetings including a 126-111 victory in the bubble about a week and a half ago. In that game, the Clippers held Dallas to just 44.8% from the floor and 111 points. It helps that the Clippers have three of the best wing defenders in the league (Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Patrick Beverley) all on the same team. The Mavericks can make enough threes to take a game or two in the series which is why Clippers in 5 ( 225) or 6 ( 300) are the most likely outcomes.