Anthony Davis Injury Update Impacts Lakers NBA Championship Odds, Playoff Chances

The latest injury update on Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis and how it may impact the team's NBA Finals odds.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

UPDATE: The Lakers have traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal for Luka Doncic. Davis' timetable to return is still up in the air.

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Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis exited the team's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday with an injury and did not return, and now we know why.

The Lakers big man was diagnosed with an abdominal strain which will keep him out of the lineup for the next few games.

This is a major blow to the Lakers, as Davis is having a great season, averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 52.8 percent from the field. Davis has also appeared in 42 games for the Lakers this season, which has been huge since they lack proven options in the frontcourt.

Here's the latest on Davis' injury and when he may return to the Lakers lineup.

When Is Anthony Davis Coming Back for the Lakers?

The Lakers announced that Davis will be sidelined for at least a week with the injury. He will miss mutliple games because of that, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

"The Lakers said Davis underwent an MRI on Wednesday, will return to Los Angeles and is set to be reevaluated in approximately one week," McMenamin wrote. "That will rule him out for the remaining three games of the Lakers' road trip against the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks and LA Clippers."

While Davis is sidelined, the Lakers will likely use some combination of Jaxson Hayes, Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison at the center spot. It's also possible that Davis' injury causes the Lakers to look into the trade market for a center prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

While Los Angeles has the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference as of Jan. 29, it doesn't have a whole lot of wiggle room. The Lakers are just 3.5 games up on the No. 11-seeded Golden State Warriors, so a rough stretch without Davis could push them down the standings in a hurry.

Here's a look at the betting impact from Davis' injury.

Anthony Davis Injury Impacts Lakers Futures Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship Odds

The Lakers are +4500 to win the NBA Finals this season -- good for just 13th in the odds. Los Angeles may need to make a deal at the deadline to improve its long-term outlook, and it's clear that oddsmakers aren't buying the Lakers as a top-five team in the West just yet.

Los Angeles has the ninth-best odds of any Western Conference team to win the title this season. If the Lakers slip back into play-in tournament contention while Davis is out, it could drop their odds even further.

Los Angeles Lakers Playoff Odds

Despite their low title odds, the Lakers are still favored to make the playoffs at -160. Based on those odds, the Lakers have an implied probability of 61.54 percent to make the postseason.

In the LeBron James era, the Lakers have ended up in the play-in tournament three times, winning their first play-in game to earn the No. 7 seed each time.

While Davis' injury isn't long term -- or so it seems -- the Lakers are still far from a lock to end up in the playoffs in the West this season. If the star forward misses more than just a week, the Lakers could be in trouble in the standings by the time he returns.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.