It is a light five-game slate in the NBA tonight with the Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks facing off in the late window. Zach LaVine and company currently sit in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 35-34 record.
LaVine was traded to the Kings at the trade deadline as a part of the deal that sent De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs. Across his first 19 games with the franchise, LaVine is averaging 21.9 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds.
Injuries have taken a toll across the NBA and this game is no different. Damian Lillard headlines the injury report for Milwaukee while Bobby Portis continues to serve his suspension. Domantas Sabonis remains out for the Kings, while Malik Monk was a late addition to the injury report and will miss the matchup due to an illness.
The Kings enter this game as two-point favorites and -135 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Bucks hold +114 odds on the moneyline with the game total set at 223.
With the stage set here are my favorite LaVine prop bets ahead of the Saturday night matchup.
Best Zach LaVine Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
LaVine’s props are listed at over/under 22.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 made three-pointers and 28.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Zach LaVine Over 4.5 Assists (-115)
While Sabonis’ 19.2 points and league-leading 13.9 rebounds per game are notable, his 6.2 assists per game is sneaky good. Without the star forward, the rest of Sacramento’s offense will need to step up. This has been further magnified with Monk’s addition to the injury report. Monk has stepped up as a playmaker in a major way this season growing his assist total to a career-high 5.9 per game.
Playmaking is not at the top of LaVine’s skillset but he is more than capable of creating for others. He is averaging 3.9 assists per game with the Kings and 4.0 assists per game in his career. He has recorded over 4.5 assists in six games with the Kings and has reached this total in 22 of the 61 games he has played this season. This also came while not being asked to serve as a passer at nearly the rate as he will tonight.
The Bucks rank 12th in opponents points per game and 12th in assists allowed. LaVine faced the Bucks four times already this season all while still with the Bulls. He averaged 4.25 assists per game in these matchups and recorded over 4.5 assists in two of the four games. In addition, Sabonis missed the previous two games, and LaVine finished with five and six assists.
Count on the prized trade deadline acquisition to continue picking up some of the playmaking slack against the Bucks tonight. There are capable shooters for him to play off of, and Milwaukee’s perimeter defense has been hit-or-miss all season. Expect LaVine to be asked to serve as a playmaker at a much greater rate than is typically the case. Count on him punishing double teams with his passing and making his way to over 4.5 assists tonight.
Zach LaVine Over 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-130)
After a cold start to his Kings’ tenure, LaVine has settled back in as a shooter. Through his opening 19 games, he is attempting 7.0 three-pointers per game and connecting at a 42.9% rate. For his career, he has been a 38.9% three-point shooter but he has shot as well as 42.9% from deep for an entire season. LaVine has connected on over 2.5 three-pointers in nine of the 19 games with the Kings thus far.
Limiting three-pointers is near the top of the list for the Bucks’ defensive concerns with them ranking 23rd in the NBA in opponents’ three-point attempts. LaVine hit four three-pointers against the Bucks this year while still playing on the Bulls and has tallied at least four three-point attempts in every game with the Kings.
The biggest critique of LaVine in Sacramento has his lack of aggression at times. Without Sabonis and Monk, expect the Kings to get the assertive version of LaVine. The two-time All-Star’s production as a shooter is evident, but he has been lost in the offensive pecking order for stretches.
Count on LaVine to welcome the challenge of a scaled-up offensive role and for him to be active throughout this game. Look for him to benefit from Milwaukee’s inability to defend the three-point line and connect with over 2.5 three-pointers tonight.
