The Oklahoma City Thunder managed to win Game 1 of their second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers by 18 points with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 18 points, his lowest output of the season. The Lakers could have a tough time bouncing back in Game 2 tonight if Gilgeous-Alexander indeed puts up more points than that.
Tonight’s contest will begin at 9:40 p.m. ET at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Thunder fans surely hope that it’ll be the team’s last game at the venue until the Western Conference Finals.
Oklahoma City is a 15.5-point favorite for tonight’s clash at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set to 211.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bet centered around the likely soon-to-be two-time MVP.
Best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 8+ Assists (+118)
Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance in Game 1 was a true stinker; not only did he score his season-low in points, he also had a season-high in turnovers, and he only dished out six assists despite his team shooting 49.4% from the field overall. Still, it’s hard to ignore his recent track record; after a rough Game 1 in the first round, in which he had 25 points and just seven assists on five-for-18 shooting, he dished out at least eight in Games 2, 3, and 4, and he also ended the regular season with at least eight in each of his final two contests. Though he only averaged 6.6 dimes per game during the regular season, a heavier playoff load and Jalen Williams’ absence will likely require him to play at least 35 minutes, which should give him more time to rack up assists.
It’s not like the Lakers have a great defense overall. They finished just 20th in defensive rating during the regular season, the second-worst among teams to advance to the postseason, and although they’ve played much better defensively so far these playoffs (especially LeBron James), they still rank near the middle of the pack in opponent assists per game. Additionally, Los Angeles gave up 23 wide-open three-pointers to Oklahoma City in Game 1, in part because JJ Redick threw lots of doubles at Gilgeous-Alexander, forcing him to pass. He made 46 passes in Game 1, 6.7 more than he averaged in the first round. If the Lakers keep doubling him, Gilgeous-Alexander should be able to find open shooters or dink it down to Chet Holmgren, who James and Rui Hachimura were unable to contain in Game 1.
