For the final time this regular season, DraftKings will be handing out $1 million in bonus bets tonight as part of the signature King of the Court promotion. Despite there only being a few games left in the season, there still remains plenty to be decided; 19 of the 20 postseason participants have yet to determine their seeds, so the final few games will still matter for most contenders.
Here’s how King of the Court works: if users opt into the contest and use their King of the Court token on a player prop bet (minimum $5 wager) with -200 or longer odds, that bet will become an eligible entrant to the contest. Any user who used their token on the player who finishes with the most combined points, rebounds, and assists tonight will receive a share of the $1 million prize pool of bonus bets to be paid out the next day, proportional to the number of users who used their token that player.
The bet doesn’t have to hit: for instance, if a user bets on the Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg to snag at least seven rebounds (-139) and he only snags six but ends up leading all players in P/R/A, that user will still be paid out their share of the bonus bets. Regardless, hitting on a bet never hurts.
The three players with the highest P/R/A over-unders are Flagg (41.5), the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (40.5), and a tie between the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and the LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (both 39.5). Since Leonard has slightly shorter odds of hitting his over than James’, though, I’ll choose him.
Below, I’ve broken down my favorite prop bets for these three players so you know where to start as you bet on the stars.
Cooper Flagg 7+ Rebounds (-139)
Since I used this example earlier, I might as well stick with it. Since returning from a foot sprain on March 5, Flagg has averaged 6.8 rebounds per game across 17 games, reaching the seven-rebound threshold eight times, including two of his last three games. All in all, his rebounding percentage jumped by 0.7 percentage points from before the All-Star break to thereafter. With Daniel Gafford (shoulder) doubtful and Marvin Bagley III (shoulder) questionable, there’s a chance he could spend some time at center tonight.
Flagg has a pretty good matchup against the Clippers, who — even in their dramatic turnaround after a disastrous start — have slipped from last season’s defensive heights. Most critically, LA ranks 22nd in total rebounding percentage, both overall and since trading away starting center Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline. The Clippers have also gotten downhill at a better rate without improving their accuracy after dealing Zubac and James Harden, so they should give Flagg more defensive rebounding opportunities. Flagg has had at least eight boards in two of his three career games against the Clippers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Race to 10 Points (+102)
Gilgeous-Alexander had 13 points in the second quarter alone the last time he faced off against the Lakers, though he wasn’t the first to 10 points because Luguentz Dort got hot in the first quarter, making all five of his shots (including all four of his three-point attempts). Still, though, with no Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves in the game, his two strongest competitors in the race to 10 points won’t suit up. Gilgeous-Alexander ranks third in the league in first-half points, but without Dončić, he should have a much easier path to double digits.
Defensively, Los Angeles might struggle to provide Gilgeous-Alexander with much resistance. Though the Lakers have had an above-average defense since the start of March, much of that has been the product of shooting luck, and they’ll likely be worse without Dončić and Reaves, even though neither is a great individual defender. In particular, Los Angeles has been exceptionally poor in rim protection all season, and Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the league’s most prolific drivers. Dončić and Reaves are also relatively good at avoiding fouls…but Bronny James is not.
Kawhi Leonard 30+ Points (-106)
LA is in a tight battle with the Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, as it currently lead the Trail Blazers by half a game with three games remaining in its season and two in Portland’s. Leonard also needs to play at least 15 minutes in three of the Clippers’ final four regular season games to preserve his All-NBA eligibility, given that he’s a strong contender to make First Team for the fourth time in his career. Leonard has only scored 30 points four times since the start of March, but he’s consistently hovering in the high 20s.
The last time he hit 30 points came against the Mavericks, when he recorded 34 in an overtime loss on March 22. Despite Flagg’s tantalizing defensive potential, Dallas hasn’t actualized even a decent unit on that side of the ball. Since Flagg’s return from injury, the Mavericks have been blitzed to the tune of 120.3 points per 100 possessions, the ninth-worst mark in basketball across that span. They also play at the league’s fifth-fastest pace, so Leonard should have plenty of possessions to make an impact. Despite some improvements as of late, Flagg has still been a net-negative defender overall.
How to Play King of the Court
- Opt in to receive your King of the Court token in the Promotions page.
- Bet on an NBA Player Prop bet ($5 minimum wager) on DraftKings Sportsbook and apply your token (Minimum leg odds of -200 apply).
- If the player you wagered on with your token applied was the combined points, rebounds and assists leader that night, win a share of the $1 million in bonus bets paid out the next day.
For more information on this promo, click here!
