Last Updated on April 17, 2011 5:00 pm by drew
Hornets vs. Lakers Odds
(TheSpread) – The L.A. Lakers officially begin their defense of the NBA championship on Sunday when they take on the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the playoffs.
The Lakers are the No. 2 seed in the West with a 57-25 record while the Hornets come in as the No. 7 seed with a 46-36 mark.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com the Lakers are the clear favorite to win the series with odds of -2200 while the Hornets come in with odds of +1300.
Los Angeles won the Pacific Division with a 57-25 record. The Lakers were 30-11 at home and 27-14 on the road this season while also going 36-16 in conference games. L.A. won its last two games to end the season.
New Orleans finished third in the Southwest Division with its 46-36 record. The Hornets were 28-13 at home and 18-23 on the road this past season. The Hornets were just 27-25 in conference games and they lost their last three games during the regular season.
These two teams faced off four times during the regular season with the Lakers winning all four games. L.A. had a scoring edge of +43 against New Orleans during the series.
Trends show that the road team has covered the spread in 12 of the last 16 games in this series while the Lakers have covered in their last 7 games against Southwest Division opponents.
In terms of injuries, New Orleans is without forward David West because of a knee injury while L.A. center Andrew Bynum is probable to play in the series opener despite a bad knee.
Odds to win 2011 NBA Playoffs First Round Series – Hornets vs. Lakers
New Orleans Hornets +1300
Los Angeles Lakers -2200
Hornets vs. Lakers Series Schedule
Game 1 – Sun April 17, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/R
Game 2 – Wed April 20, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 – Fri April 22, L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 – Sun April 24, L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28, L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, TBD, TNT
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