Luka Doncic and the Lakers second most money bet and most tickets to win the championship on BetMGM
BetMGM published betting data for the NBA championship, Eastern Conference, and Western Conference this week. Following the Luka Doncic trade that shocked the entire NBA world, BetMGM revealed that the Los Angeles Lakers were the team with the second most money bet to win the 2024-2025 NBA championship with a 14.8 per cent handle. Last month, the Dallas Mavericks traded Doncic to the Lakers in a deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Mavericks.
The 55-10 Cleveland Cavaliers were the team with the most money on them with a 17.3 per cent handle. The defending champions Boston Celtics were third with a 14.7 per cent handle. And 0 per cent was on the Toronto Raptors, according to the data. The Lakers currently have the seventh best record in the NBA with a 40-24 record. BetMGM also published information for the percentage of tickets on each team to win the NBA championship. At 16.2 per cent, the most tickets were on the Lakers to win the championship. The Celtics were second with 13.6 per cent of the tickets. The Cavaliers were third with 12 per cent of the tickets.
BetMGM bettors behind the Los Angeles Lakers
Despite being the Western Conference team with the most money bet on them to win the NBA championship, the Lakers were not the team with the most money bet to win the west. The Oklahoma City Thunder were the team with the most money bet to win the west with a 25.2 per cent handle. The Lakers were second with a 20.2 per cent handle. Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were third with a 17.2 per cent handle. Although the Mavericks have only played one game Davis on the court and lost Kyrie Irving to a season-ending injury, the Mavericks were in the top five with an 8.1 per cent handle.
Like the NBA championship, the Lakers were at the top of the ticket percentage for the Western Conference with 21.4 per cent of the tickets. BetMGM bettors placed the second most tickets on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder at 18 per cent. Third were the Nuggets at 15.1 per cent. The Mavericks were fifth. The Thunder have the best record in the west.
The east race between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics
In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics were the team with the most money bet by over 12 percentage points with a 42 per cent handle. The Cavaliers were second at 28.8 per cent. No other team was over 10 per cent. The Knicks were the closest with 8.2 per cent. At 0.2 per cent, the Raptors were near the bottom of the list.
The Cavaliers, Celtics, and Knicks were the only teams with more than 10 per cent of the tickets bet on them. Despite the Celtics being significantly ahead in the handle, the Cavaliers had 41.2 per cent of the tickets. The Cetlics were second at 18.2 per cent. The Knicks were third at 11.6 per cent. No other team in the east was over 8 per cent for tickets or handle. The Cavaliers currently have the best record in the conference.
