After a 2-10 start, a Russell Westbrook trade and an overall wild season, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are back in the postseason.
Los Angeles took care of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the Western Conference play-in tournament to secure the No. 7 seed and a date with the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, where they are a slight underdog heading into play Sunday.
The Lakers are currently +115 underdogs to win the series at PointsBet while the Grizzlies are a -149 favorite to move on to the West semifinals.
It’s the first time In James’ 20-year career that he has been a series underdog in the first round of the playoffs, according to Action Network.
Despite dealing with injuries all season, the Lakers will start the series with a fully healthy roster.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, will be without two key contributors — big men Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, who would have been crucial in slowing down James and Anthony Davis.
They will have to rely on Defensive Player of the Year front-runner yet foul-prone Jaren Jackson Jr. and the 6’7” Xavier Tillman to slow down the Lakers’ paint attack.
Memphis, who went an NBA-best 35-6 on their home floor, holds home-court advantage and young star power in Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jackson Jr. though, in addition to a deep roster of role players.
On the other hand, the Lakers are a relatively new group with trade additions Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura playing big minutes.
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The series kicks off on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern on ABC.
The winner will move on to the second round and face the winner of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings series.