Things did not go according to plan for the Lakers in Game 1 of their playoff series against the Timberwolves, but LeBron James and company will have an opportunity to get back on track this evening, as Game 2 gets underway at 10:00 p.m. ET.
There are hundreds of ways to bet this contest, yet this article will be focusing on the best LeBron James prop bet on DraftKings Sportsbook for Tuesday’s action. Let’s get into it.
Best LeBron James Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
LeBron James Over 32+ Points + Rebounds (-125)
Before throwing up the white flag in the final three minutes of Game 1, the Lakers were essentially running an eight-man rotation. It might even be considered a seven-man rotation with an asterisk, as Jaxson Hayes finished as an -11 in just 8.1 minutes of work despite being in the starting five. It’s clear that Los Angeles plans to counter Minnesota’s massive size discrepancy by going small, which means that James will be asked to man the five more often than usual.
It’s an insane ask for a 40-year-old veteran, but nothing about James even made sense to begin with. While James struggled on the glass in Game 1, grabbing just five boards, the former MVP was a reasonable deterrent in the paint, leading all players with three blocks. I’d expect some larger rebounding numbers if Hayes is once again relegated to such a microscopic role. From the trade deadline on, among actual rotation players, James’ 13.8% total rebounding rate with Hayes off the floor ranked second on the Lakers to only Jarred Vanderbilt — who also only logged 13.5 minutes on Saturday.
In general, James averaged 24.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest during the regular season. That was in 34.9 minutes per game and it already managed to exceed this prop. If Los Angeles can keep things closer in Game 2, I anticipate that James will flirt with 40 minutes. At that point, this prop seems like a lock.
