The NBA scoreboard is stuffed with a dozen games this Wednesday night with plenty of juicy matchups throughout the evening. In the second game of ESPN’s doubleheader, the Los Angeles Lakers drop in to visit the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. With so many stars in the contest, let’s dive into the matchup and find some fun player prop bets to play.
The Thunder are an impressive 11-1 this year and 6-0 at home after beating the Warriors on Tuesday, while the Lakers are 8-3 after beating the Hornets in Charlotte on Monday.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Thunder are 6.5-point home favorites, with the game total set at 231.5. In addition to the main game line, DraftKings Sportsbook has a host of player prop bets for Wednesday night’s matchup. In this post, I’ll take a look at a few of my favorites.
Let’s dive in.
Lakers vs. Thunder Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Isaiah Hartenstein 25+ Points + Rebounds (+168)
This is a stretch play in my top player props for Hartentstein’s points and rebounds, but if you want to go with a more conservative play, 22+ points and rebounds at -126 is a solid option, as well.
Since the Thunder are playing for the second night in a row, though, they could try to limit the minutes for Chet Holmgren, who has yet to play in a back-to-back this season. He hasn’t been ruled out or anything yet, since the Thunder haven’t issued their injury report, but grabbing this alt prop from I-Hart early could make for even better value if Holmgren ultimately does get the evening off. Chet did only have to play 25 minutes in the rout on Tuesday.
Hartenstein also had a slightly lighter workload against Golden State, logging just 20 minutes and finishing with eight points and seven rebounds. It snapped a streak of three straight double-doubles for the big man, who had 18 points and 13 boards against the Grizzlies on Sunday after 33 points and 19 rebounds against the Kings last Friday. He went well over 25 points and rebounds in both those contests with Holmgren playing alongside, so even if Holmgren plays, he has the potential to be able to hit this prop.
On the season, he’s averaging 12.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, for 24.4 points and rebounds per contest. The Lakers usually play big with Deandre Ayton in the middle, who Hartenstein hasn’t gone up against since signing with the Thunder. He had nine points and nine rebounds in just 24 minutes against Ayton in their last meeting when Hartenstein was still with the Knicks and Ayton the Blazers.
Rui Hachimura Over 1.5 3PM (-146)
This is a play I’ve been riding all season, and Hachimura just keeps on delivering. He has hit multiple three-pointers in six straight games and is averaging 2.0 threes on the season. He had 21 points with three threes against the Hornets on Monday, giving him at least two 3PM in nine of his 11 games this season (82%).
Hachimura will have to continue to help carry the scoring load until LeBron James (sciatica) is ready to re-enter the mix, and as long as he’s getting enough usage, this will remain one of my favorite Lakers’ player prop bets whenever he’s on the board. I also like him to go over his points prop at -107, but threes made is a safer play that has been a little more consistent.
Ajay Mitchell Over 15.5 Points (-104)
If you haven’t caught much of the Thunder this season and are just remembering them from last year’s run, you may not be familiar with Mitchell’s game. The second-year guard has had a huge breakout in the early going to help the team start fast, even without Jalen Williams (wrist). Aaron Wiggins (thigh) and Lu Dort (trap) have also been missing time lately, which has allowed Mitchell to step into even more usage.
In his 12 games, Mitchell has averaged 17.2 points, and he has at least 17 points in four straight matchups since entering the starting lineup. He has gone over this point prop in nine of his 12 games this season (75%), and if Dort and Wiggins are out — along with any other surprises on the second night of the back-to-back — he should continue to get enough usage to hit this over once again on Wednesday.
