Lakers succeed but fail to cover

It’s always fun to watch fans cheer their team to a win but leave disappointed because they lost a bet.

That was the case for many who took the Lakers and gave points against San Antonio in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday.

The Lakers were 7 1/2 -point favorites but trailed for most of the game and needed Kobe Bryant’s to bail them out in an 89-85 victory over the Spurs at Staples Center.

A come-from-behind win gave the Lakers a 1-0 edge over San Antonio in the best-of-seven series but for a lot of gamblers, money was lost because of the Lakers’ inability to cover the point spread.

For tonight’s Game 2, Las Vegas oddsmakers have made the Lakers 6 1/2 -point favorites.

It’s the 27th consecutive home game that the Lakers will be favored.

Playoff add: The moneyline for tonight’s game has the Lakers at -300 and the Spurs at +250. The over/under combined points total is 192 1/2 .

WNBA

Las Vegas oddsmakers already have tagged the Sparks as the team to beat for this year’s league championship only one game into the season.

The Sparks, who defeated defending WNBA champion Phoenix last weekend to start the season, are listed as 9-5 favorites, according to Sportsbook.com.

The Detroit Shock, which won the league title in 2003 and 2006, is next at 2-1.

Boxing

The last time British boxer Ricky Hatton was seen, he was getting his lunch handed to him by Floyd Mayweather Jr., who defeated Hatton with a 10th-round technical knockout in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2007.

Hatton will return to the ring tonight in front of thousands of hometown fans when he faces Juan Lazcano in a light-welterweight bout at the sold out 55,000-seat City of Manchester Stadium.

Oddsmakers have made Hatton, 43-1 with 31 knockouts, an overwhelming favorite over Lazcano, 38-4 with 28 knockouts.

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This story is not intended as a tip-sheet, but is an account of significant betting taking place in the sports world.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com