When the Los Angeles Lakers host the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers (28-4) on New Year’s Eve, all eyes will likely be trained on LeBron James, as he’ll be playing his first game in his 40’s, as well as facing his former team.
But Los Angeles’ most important player this season hasn’t been James, who’s actually been the worst player on the team by plus-minus. Instead, if the Lakers want any chance of pulling off an upset over the Cavaliers, it’ll need a big performance from Anthony Davis, who’s averaged 26.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while being a Defensive Player of the Year contender.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Los Angeles (+170) is a moderate underdog and the point total is set to 228. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bet centered around The Brow.
Best Anthony Davis Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Anthony Davis O25.5 Points (-120)
While Davis has, by and large, been spectacular this season, his efficiency has somewhat fluctuated. He had a brilliant performance in the Lakers’ most recent game, a 132-122 win over the Sacramento Kings on December 28, dropping 36 points to go along with 15 rebounds and eight assists. However, in the four games before that, he averaged just 12.5 points on 38.3% shooting, including a Christmas Day game against Golden State in which he recorded just seven minutes before turning his ankle and missing the rest of the game.
I still back him to have a big night against Cleveland, even though the Cavaliers have the seventh-best defensive rating (109.7) in basketball and Davis will likely be guarded most of the night by Cleveland power forward Evan Mobley, one of the league’s best defenders. The Cavaliers play at the league’s seventh-fastest pace, which will ratchet up the total number of possessions and give Davis more chances to score.
Also, the Lakers recently made the second major trade of the 2024-25 season, dealing point guard D’Angelo Russell — the team’s third-leading scorer — to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, neither of whom are elite offensive players. Both Finney-Smith and Milton are expected to make their Los Angeles debuts tonight, but they’ll likely play diminished roles off the bench as they adapt to head coach JJ Redick’s system. With Redick expected to ease his new acquisitions into the rotation, Russell’s 10.7 shots and 12.4 points per game have to go somewhere, and I imagine that much of that will go to Davis.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
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