LeBron James might be the best athlete that the State of Ohio has ever produced. James has some stiff competition: Jesse Owens, Cy Young, and Jack Nicklaus, for example. But King James still rules over the Buckeye State after two stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, including that magical title run in 2016.
James may be wearing the Purple and Gold now, but the Akron native still has legions of fans supporting him back home, and they’ll have the Los Angeles Lakers in their NBA picks this Thursday when they visit the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
Here’s the problem: The Nuggets are the team with the betting value as 5.5-point home faves on the NBA odds board at Caesars Sportsbook. But if you’re from Ohio and you’re new to Caesars, they’ve got a promo that will make betting on James and the Lakers both fun and instantly profitable.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets
Thursday, May 18, 2023 – 08:30 PM EDT at Ball Arena
$1,500 First Bet Credit
This is one of the most generous welcome packages in the business: up to $1,500 in Bet Credit when you sign up at Caesars using the promo code CZR1BET and place your first wager. That means you can bet up to $1,500 on the Lakers for Game 2 and get your entire stake back as a bet credit if they don’t cover.
There’s no need to split hairs anymore over which of these teams has the betting advantage when you’ve got this bet credit promo locked up.
The Lakers are probably over-valued as 5.5-point road dogs versus small-market Denver, although they did have some success during the fourth quarter of their 132-126 Game 1 loss after putting Rui Hachimura on the floor to defend two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Either way, the Nuggets aren’t that much of a slam-dunk as 5.5-point home faves. They do have the advantage of playing at altitude, but the Lakers have already been in town for a few days, so James and co. should be better acclimatized than they were for Tuesday’s opener.
The James Gang
Speaking of James, his shot selection has been poor at times for the Lakers during these playoffs, especially from deep; James went 0-for-4 from long range in Game 1, but 9-for-12 from inside the arc to finish with 26 points. There’s room for L.A. to improve if they can get James to stop jacking up those hero threes.
There’s certainly reason to hope the Lakers can adjust after what we saw in the fourth quarter. But make sure you grab this $1,500 bet credit offer from Caesars before you put your money on King James, just in case he keeps dialing it up from long distance.
NBA Pick: Lakers +5.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
