The Los Angeles Lakers score 113.4 points per 100 possessions and concede 114.5, the 13th-worst net rating in basketball. Yet they’re 25-18, currently slated for the fifth seed in the Western Conference, one of only two teams in the top six of either conference with a negative net rating, along with the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers are afloat simply because they’ve gone 9-5 in games decided by five points or fewer.
The fact that Los Angeles rosters LeBron James helps. While he’s been a significant net negative overall (the Lakers are outscored by 4.6 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor, the second-worst among Los Angeles’ regular rotation players), he still turns it up in big moments. In 20 clutch games this season — defined as such when the margin is within five points in the last five minutes of the game — James has a plus-5.9 net rating, the fourth-best on the team.
By counting stats, his record 21st consecutive All-Star appearance is more than justified as well. He’s averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game.
The Lakers are currently on a three-game winning streak after edging out a win against a Charlotte Hornets team missing LaMelo Ball for most of the night, and they should be able to make it four against a struggling Philadelphia 76ers unit tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Los Angeles is a 3.5-point favorite, with the point total is set to 216. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around The King.
Best LeBron James Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
LeBron James to Record a Triple-Double (+425)
I correctly predicted James to record a triple-double against the Washington Wizards on January 21, and I’m going to do so again here, although he hasn’t come particularly close since. He was four assists shy of the mark the following game, five rebounds shy on Saturday night, and three rebounds and two assists short last night.
Still, Philadelphia seems like the perfect opponent, especially since they’ll be without both of their primary centers, Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond, and their primary wing defenders, Paul George and Caleb Martin. The 76ers aren’t the Wizards, by any means, but they’ve still given up the 15th-most rebounds — which has worsened to the 11th-most in the two games since Drummond went down — and the 10th-most assists. The points are a given; James hasn’t scored fewer than 10 points in a regular-season game since January 5, 2007. He has six career triple-doubles against the 76ers.
LeBron James U0.5 Steals (+140)
Despite a difficult season, Philadelphia has excelled at limiting turnovers. Point guard Tyrese Maxey, who will be the 76ers lone star on the court, has the ninth-highest usage rate among 202 players who have played at least 30 games and averaged 20 minutes per game, but he ranks just 52nd in turnovers per game despite posting the highest turnover rate of his career. Maxey has only recorded three or more turnovers 16 times this season.
Meanwhile, while James has recorded at least one steal in more than half of his games, is on a bit of a dry spell. He has recorded zero steals in two of his last three games after nabbing at least one in seven consecutive games before that, and his 1.2% steal percentage this season represents a career low. After playing 36 minutes last night, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 40-year-old’s defensive effort wanes and he isn’t aggressive enough to force a turnover.
