The Portland Trail Blazers will host the Chicago Bulls as one of the three 9 p.m. ET tip-offs to conclude today’s NBA slate. Zach LaVine and company hold the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference which would be the last seed in the play-in tournament if the season were to end today.
The Bulls must capitalize on each opportunity for wins and this is a great chance tonight. Portland sits in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 13-28 record. Chicago enters on a four-game losing streak while the Trail Blazers have lost their last five matchups and are 2-8 in their last 10 games. LaVine has been on a scoring tear since the New Year and his prop lines have been adjusted accordingly.
The Bulls enter this game as 12.5-point favorites and -800 on the moneyline. The Sixers hold +550 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at 223.5.
Here are my favorite LaVine prop bets for the Sunday night matchup.
Best Zach LaVine Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
LaVine’s props are listed at over/under 25.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 made three-pointers and 35.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Zach LaVine Over 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-135)
LaVine is averaging 23.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds this season. He has been especially effective from beyond the three-point arc, shooting a career-high 45.6 percent on three-pointers while launching 7.1 per game. This comes out to an average of 3.2 made three-pointers per game.
While this is an impressive mark, it is not an extreme outlier. He’s a career 38.7 percent three-point shooter and shot 41.9 percent during the 2020-21 season.
Overall, LaVine has recorded over 2.5 made three-pointers in 23 of the 37 games this season. Since the New Year, LaVine has made at least three three-pointers in six of the nine games. He has fallen short in the past two games, but the Trail Blazers’ lackluster perimeter defense should be the cure to this.
Portland ranks 24th in points allowed and dead last in opponents’ three-point percentage. You will not find a much better matchup from LaVine’s perspective, so look for him to get back on track by connecting on at least three three-pointers tonight.
Zach LaVine 30+ Points (+175)
While LaVine is averaging just 23.6 points per game on the season, the two-time All-Star has tallied 30+ points in 12 of the 37 games he has played this season. He fell short in each of the last three games but had tallied 30+ points in six straight games before this.
The defensive side of the ball has been the biggest concern for the Trail Blazers all season and this will not change tonight. Just over a week ago, Tyler Herro lit up this Trail Blazers team for 32 points, so expect a similar outcome for LaVine. Both players are effective on and off the ball, and LaVine has been especially effective in creating looks for himself without the ball in his hand of late.
This is the first matchup between these two teams this season, and LaVine was injured for both matchups last season. However, he tallied 33 and 36 points across the two matchups in the 2022-23 season, and Portland is not in a much better spot as an organization since this point.
Expect Portland’s defensive issues to prove too difficult to overcome and for LaVine to be active in the box score in this matchup. Portland ranks 27th in opponents’ field goal percentage and is 22nd in free throw attempts allowed.
These defensive issues should be too much to overcome. Expect LaVine to be in attack mode from the opening tip. While I like his standard over/under of 25.5 points taking the +175 swing on 30+ points is worth a shot based on the matchup.
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