It’s been a disastrous week for the Los Angeles Lakers, with three blowout losses in four games, arguably the worst shooting slump of LeBron James’ career, and — somehow — questions about JJ Redick’s head coaching chops just 20 games into his career. Los Angeles will have an opportunity to turn it around tonight against one of this season’s hardest-to-analyze teams, the 12-11 Atlanta Hawks.
During the Lakers’ early-season surge, center Anthony Davis looked to be a top contender for the Most Valuable Player award. Although he has since cooled down slightly, The Brow is still averaging a very solid 26.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game on career-high efficiency (34.9%) from deep.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Lakers are 5.5-point underdogs, and the point total is set at 232. Below, I’ve identified my favorite prop bets centered around Davis.
Best Anthony Davis Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Anthony Davis O3.5 Blocks + Steals (+135)
Los Angeles’ defense has been a disaster in recent games, as miscommunication and disinterest plagued the team in an especially embarrassing 134-93 loss in Miami on Wednesday. Davis hasn’t been immune from the Lakers’ struggles, but opponents still shoot 5.3% worse than expected when he defends them, one of the highest rates among high-volume players. He ranks among the league leaders at contesting both two-pointers and three-pointers, and he has averaged at least one steal and one block in each season of his NBA career.
Meanwhile, the Hawks are a sloppy, fast-paced team that has allowed opponents to rack up both blocks and steals at top-ten rates. Atlanta point guard Trae Young ranks fourth in the NBA with 4.7 turnovers per game and forward Jalen Johnson is not far behind with 3.2. Davis has only combined for four or more blocks + steals once in his past five games, but I expect him and the Lakers to come out fired up tonight.
Anthony Davis O0.5 Three-Pointers Made (-105)
I also like Davis to do something that he has done only once in his last seven games: hit a three-pointer. The Atlanta defense has many weaknesses, allowing 118.4 points per game — the fourth-most in the league — but in particular, the Hawks struggle to defend the three-point line. Opposing teams launch 42.3 shots from deep per game against them, by far the highest rate in the league. Most of these shots are open; the Hawks allow 37.8 threes per game with the nearest defender at least four feet away. Davis has shot 36.6% on open threes so far this season.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
