The Eastern Conference semifinals are nearly set, with three of the four teams punching their tickets this week, with the higher-seeded franchise moving on. That’s not the case for the Western Conference, however.
That’s certainly not the case with the Los Angeles Lakers, as the team is in a 3-1 deficit to the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. Los Angeles returns home on Wednesday, the site of their lone victory in this series.
Can the Lakers keep their season alive with a decisive Game 5 victory? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player prop bets from Tuesday’s Western Conference opening-round matchup.
Los Angeles Lakers SF LeBron James OVER 42.5 Pts + Reb + Ast
There’s no doubt that Lakers legend LeBron James is dialed in for this contest. Despite turning 40 years old in December, the 6-foot-9 athlete is having a strong postseason run. He’s averaging an astonishing 50.7 field goal percentage while scoring 26.3 points, grabbing 9.5 rebounds, and handing out 5.5 assists.
While the first two contests were nothing to write home about, James has been phenomenal over the last two games. He’s played 87 minutes, scored 65 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, and dished out 12 assists. We’ll cover this more below, but bettors should take the over on this player prop bet.
Minnesota T’wolves Anthony Edwards OVER 5.5 Assists
Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards was a star during his team’s Western Conference finals run last season, scoring 27.6 points, grabbing 7.0 rebounds, and dishing out 6.5 assists as the Timberwolves attempted to make their first-ever NBA Finals appearance.
This season, he’s played an even larger role for the Timberwolves. Through four games against the Lakers, the 6-foot-4 guard has scored nearly 30 points per contest while dishing out 5.8 assists.
In all but one outing – when Minnesota lost last week – Edwards has finished with six or more assists, including Sunday’s game when he dropped 43 points on the Lakers. That’s why bettors can take the over on this prop wager with confidence on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Lakers PG Luka Doncic UNDER 31.5 Points
Los Angeles shocked the world when it acquired Luka Doncic before the NBA trade deadline. The 25-year-old star has adjusted to his new team, becoming the leading scorer for a Lakers team needing a strong finisher to complement James.
While this will eventually be his team, Doncic is fine working in tandem with James. Expect the elder star to be the dominant scorer in tonight’s matchup, keeping Doncic from surpassing 31 points to cover this prop bet.
Best Bet: Los Angeles (-5.5)
Bettors can’t discount the heart of a champion. James knows his Hall of Fame NBA run is nearing its conclusion, and betting against him to pull out an epic contest in one of his final postseasons would be foolish. The Lakers will cover this spread and keep their playoff aspirations alive with a return to trip to Minnesota on Friday.
