The Lakers are hosting the Timberwolves for Game 5 of their first round series Wednesday in Los Angeles. Minnesota holds a 3-1 series lead and can advance with a win. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Lakers are favored by 5.5 points for Game 5, and this tilt carries a total of 209 points.
Below, I dive into three of my favorite player prop bets for Wednesday’s Game 5 between the Lakers and the Timberwolves on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Lakers vs. Timberwolves Player Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
LeBron James O 43.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-110)
James is going to do everything in his power to keep the Lakers’ season alive in Game 5. In the last two games of this series, the 40-year-old has been absolutely brilliant, averaging 32.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. James easily exceeded 43.5 PRA in both of these tilts and he has led the Lakers with a whopping 43.7 minutes per game in these last two. Furthermore, James has shot 60% from the field and 53% from beyond the arc while handling a 23.3% usage rate.
With Los Angeles facing elimination tonight, James should essentially play the entire game and top 43.5 PRA. For the five instances the superstar has logged over 40 minutes this season, James is averaging 51.8 PRA per game.
Rudy Gobert U 6.5 Points (-105)
Gobert has struggled to make an impact in this series with the Lakers. The center is only averaging 3.5 PPG through the first four tilts and he has yet to score over 6.5 points in any of these games. Gobert’s usage has been at a very low 9.7% and he is only logging 26.3 minutes per game, which is a large drop from the 33.3 minutes per game he averaged in the regular season.
The Lakers tendency to play small ball with James at center makes it difficult for the Timberwolves to have Gobert on the floor a ton, given he is a slow, traditional center that mostly operates in the paint. Gobert should continue to see only around 25 minutes in Game 5, with the potential for less if the Lakers change their starting five. For the second half of Game 4, Los Angeles went with a smaller lineup with Dorian Finney-Smith starting over Jaxson Hayes.
Finney-Smith and the four other Lakers’ starters didn’t leave the floor in that half and HC J.J. Redick could opt for this starting five in Wednesday’s win-or-go home Game 5, which would make Gobert very unplayable for Minnesota. Nonetheless, the center should continue to see a decreased role in Game 5 and he should fall short of 6.5 points.
Luka Doncic U 6.5 Assists (-110)
Doncic has taken a step backwards as a playmaker so far in this first round series, averaging only 5.0 assists per game. Doncic has stayed under 6.5 assists in two of these four games against the Timberwolves and he is only averaging 10.5 potential assists per game in this series, which is a large decrease from the 13.7 potential assists he averaged in the regular season.
While this series is a limited sample, Doncic has struggled to facilitate against Minnesota all season long. In seven matchups with the club, the guard is only averaging 5.0 assists per game and he has only surpassed 6.5 assists in three of these seven matchups. With everything at stake for the Lakers tonight, Doncic being focused on scoring instead of playmaking is very likely and he is a strong bet for under 6.5 assists.
