The NBA All-Star break is complete and teams will buckle up for the home stretch of the regular season. Only one game will be taking place tonight as Rui Hachimura and the rest of the Lakers will host the Charlotte Hornets in the lone matchup before a full slate of games tomorrow.
There is sure to be plenty of attention paid to this game with it set to be Luka Doncic’s third game in a Lakers uniform and following the rescinded trade that occurred between these two sides. After initially agreeing to a deal centered around Mark Williams and Dalton Knecht, the young players are set to remain on their respective teams with the optics of this still being worked through.
Los Angeles will be looking to jump-start more second-half success and propel itself into a playoff run. While the Hornets do not have as positive of an outlook, sitting in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, they are capable of putting together a complete performance on any given night.
The Lakers enter tonight’s matchup as 12-point favorites and are -700 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Hornets are +500 underdogs on the Moneyline with the game total set at 228.5.
With the stage set, here are my favorite Rui Hachimura prop bets ahead of the Wednesday night matchup.
Best Rui Hachimura Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Rui Hachimura’s props are listed at over/under 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 made three-pointers and 21.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Rui Hachimura Under 14.5 Points (-105)
It will be interesting to see how Rui Hachimura’s role changes once the new-look Lakers fully settle in, but his importance to this team has been clear. So far this season he is averaging 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. The early results of playing alongside Luka Doncic have been encouraging, with Hachimura producing 19 and 21 points in the first two games alongside Doncic.
Expect this to be scaled back a bit with Luka Doncic set to now be past his minutes restriction. While Doncic is one of the premier playmakers in the NBA, he has been limited to mild 16 and 14-point scoring outputs thus far. This is well below the 27.0 points per game he is averaging this season or the NBA-best 33.9 points per game he tallied last season. Doncic played more passively than we are accustomed to seeing as he settled in with his new teammates and this is sure to change soon.
Looking at Hachimura’s production, he has been held under 14.5 points in 29 of the 45 games he has played this season. While the Hornets’ record does not show it, they have shown some positive flashes defensively. They rank 10th in the NBA in opponent points per game and 13th in opponent points in the paint. Hachimura is capable on the perimeter as well, but expect the size and interior presence of Mark Williams to prove problematic.
With the Lakers looking to accelerate the chemistry growth between Luka Doncic and LeBron James, expect Hachimura to take a step back in the offensive pecking order. Shots are going to become more difficult to come by and the Gonzaga product will need to reinvent his style of play a bit. Expect Hachimura to continue seeing a high level of opportunity on the floor but for his offensive chances to be more limited moving forward. Look for this to be on display tonight as he is held to under 14.5 points.
Rui Hachimura Over 4.5 Rebounds (-120)
One area where Hachimura can make his impact felt in this matchup is on the boards. Even with Anthony Davis on the roster for most of the season, the Lakers rank 26th in the NBA in rebounding as a team. Davis is averaging 12.0 rebounds per game on the season, which led the Lakers by a comfortable margin and ranks sixth in the entire NBA. During the first matchup between these two teams, Davis pulled in a monstrous 23 rebounds.
Look for this to be a point of emphasis in Hachimura’s game for the remainder of the season as Los Angeles attempts to navigate its shorthanded outlook at the big-man spot. So far this season, he is averaging 5.2 rebounds per game. He has recorded over 4.5 rebounds in 27 of the 45 games he has played and tallied as many as 11 rebounds in a game this season.
Hachimura has averaged exactly 4.5 rebounds in the first two games playing alongside Luka Doncic, producing rebounding outputs of six and three. The Hornets rank 16th in the league in opponent rebounds allowed and it would not be a shock if the Lakers begin experimenting with Hachimura spending more time as the primary center.
Expect the rebounding responsibility to fall more clearly on Hachimura’s shoulders and for the 27-year-old to deliver. Look for him to make use of his 6-foot-8 frame and 7-foot-2 wingspan as he adjusts to his new role on this Lakers team. Taking a chance on Hachimura to record 6+ rebounds (which he has done 17 times this season) at +155 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook or to record 7+ rebounds (which he has done 13 times this season) at +290 odds may also be worth taking a look at. For the sake of this article, we will stick to the standard rebounding prop of over 4.5 boards, but expect his rebounding numbers to grow in the coming weeks and keep an eye on this prop moving forward.
