Lakers' Odds Of Winning Western Conference Finals Sink After Game 1 Loss

At least according to one calculus.

Last night, your Los Angeles Lakers fell on the road to the Denver Nuggets, 132-126, in the first game of the two teams' Western Conference Finals matchup. Denver built up a 21-point lead by the middle of the contest's third quarter, but LA retaliated with a valiant comeback effort, thanks to some clutch bucket-getting from Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, plus a key defensive change (switching Rui Hachimura onto Nikola Jokic defensively so AD could roam). 

Los Angeles got within three points in the game's closing minutes, but Denver did just enough to pull away late. 

So how does this impact LA's ability to win the whole thing, per some educated NBA calculus? The Lakers won the opening games (also on the road) in each of their prior series.

Per The Ringer's Odds Machine, the Nuggets are now favored to win the entire series by 77% -- thus, the Lakers have a 23% chance to win. LA has a better shot at winning Game 2 in Denver on Thursday (38%), though Denver is favored to nab that one, as well (by 62%). 

The Ringer projects Denver as having the best chance of winning the series in five games, at 25%. A six-game Nuggets victory is considered the second-likeliest outcome in the series, at 19%. For Los Angeles, a seven-game victory (which would have to happen in Denver, where the Nuggets have yet to lose a game in these playoffs) is seen as the most likely scenario, at a mere 11%.

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