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The Best Warriors vs. Lakers Player Prop Picks (May 19, 2021)

By Russ Joy

Published: May 19th, 2021 · 11:45 AM EDT

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The second night of the NBA’s Play-In Tournament is finally here, featuring the most highly-anticipated matchup of the four taking place overall. The reigning NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers will play host to three-time NBA champion Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors at the Staples Center.

Let’s take a closer look at the top Warriors vs. Lakers prop picks and make some predictions for this May 19, 2021 matchup.

Warriors vs. Lakers Player Prop Picks (May 19, 2021)

At 42-30, the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves in a three-way tie with the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers at the end of the regular season. However, due to tiebreakers, LeBron James’ squad ended up being the seventh seed, which put them in jeopardy of missing the postseason. They’ll host the Golden State Warriors, who looked to be dead in the water ahead of the season, when Klay Thompson suffered a torn Achilles in an offseason game. Instead, two-time MVP Steph Curry upped his game, won the league’s scoring title, and secured the Western Conference’s eighth seed.

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The winner of tonight’s game between the Lakers and Warriors will take on the Phoenix Suns, who occupy the second seed in the West. Meanwhile, the loser of this contest will take on the winner of the San Antonio Spurs v. Memphis Grizzlies game for the eighth and final playoff spot. The winner of that game will earn a first round series berth against the top-seeded Utah Jazz.

Will LeBron James or Steph Curry be the player to lead his respective squad into the postseason with a victory tonight?

 

LeBron James and Steph Curry to Combine for 64+ Points (+100, FOX Bet)

There are a number of sportsbooks offering a point combo of LeBron James and Steph Curry to meet a specific threshold, but FOX Bet’s “Double Your Money” offer with a 64 point total is the most reasonable given the odds.

There are some who would offer skepticism surrounding a bet like this due in large part to LeBron James’ inability to stay healthy since late March -he’s missed 26 of his team’s last 30 games- or Steph Curry’s struggles from the field against the Lakers, who have held him to 23 points per game across three matchups, but there are reasons to believe this one could hit.

James has played roughly 28 minutes per game in his two contests since returning from injury after missing the Lakers’ previous six games. He averaged 24.5 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds per game in those contests. Given the importance of tonight’s game with massive playoff implications, we expect James to play upwards of 32 minutes with an even higher scoring upside.

As for Curry, it’s true that he’s struggled from the field against Los Angeles this season, but his scoring down the stretch for the Warriors to earn the eighth seed at the end of the regular season was MVP worthy. In the final two months of the season, Curry averaged 37.1 points per game on his way to wrapping up the scoring title.

Curry going for 40+ points with his team strapped to his back, while LeBron James approaches 30 points of his own is entirely in play.

Note: A maximum bet of $100 would pay out $200 if the bet were to hit.

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King vs. Chef: Head to Head Boost (+230, DraftKings Sportsbook)

Continuing the theme of two former MVPs going toe-to-toe is this exceptional boost from DraftKings Sportsbook. In this boost, you can get +230 odds in the head-to-head matchup of Steph Curry and LeBron James. Simply opt-in through the promos tab and choose which player you believe will finish with more combined points, rebounds, and assists. DraftKings Sportsbook will then provide boosted odds of +230 on the selection for a maximum bet of $25.

Even if James were to play an increased number of minutes as we outlined above, Curry is expected to play most of the game and has a higher scoring upside, the biggest potential swing in this head-to-head matchup. Curry averaged 36.8 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game in May for a total of 47.5. LeBron’s three games in May saw him average 22.7 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game (34.4 total).

At +230 odds boosted from -225, Curry is the way to go.

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Andre Drummond to Record Over 11.5 Combined Rebounds and Assists (-115, BetMGM)

If you’re looking to divest yourself of LeBron James and Steph Curry for a player prop, consider Lakers big man Andre Drummond. Beyond 6’9″ center Kevon Looney and 6’6″ forward Draymond Greeen, there aren’t any real threats on Golden State’s roster who can physically match up with Drummond. That could and should pay massive dividends when it comes to a combined rebounds and assists market with an 11.5 threshold.

Drummond has crossed the 11.5 combined rebounds and assists line in each of his last five games, including pulling down at least ten rebounds in each of those contests. His role has changed a bit since the start of the season, but his minutes have remained steady as he’s averaged roughly 25 minutes per game across April and May. Over that time he’s averaged 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Although he missed the lone opportunity to play against the Warriors this season, he was dominant on the interior in his only meeting against them a season ago, pulling down 18 rebounds and dishing out three assists as a member of the Detroit Pistons.

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