It’s the first game of the NBA in-season tournament between the Lakers and Suns, and while the two teams come into this matchup on opposite sides, our LeBron James Spotlight expects King James to lead the Lakers to a much-needed victory.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns will play in their first NBA in-season tournament on Friday night, and with injuries mounting for the Lakers, the focus of NBA odds should belong to LeBron James, who will play for the first time in the new championship.
Let’s break down LeBron James’ NBA Player of the Year odds for the Lakers’ season tournament opener.
Don’t forget to watch our entire game against the Lakers. Suns predictions, plus our NBA Picks Props column.
LeBron James NBA Props Collection
Click on each option to jump to the full analysis.
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LeBron James NBA prop selection
Over 23.5 points (-110)
My focus for this game is in the paint. The Phoenix Suns struggled to guard big men last year with Deandre Ayton as their primary center, and Jusuf Nurkic didn’t fare much better. The big man shot 60.4 percent from the field as a primary defender this year, making him a below-average center in that regard according to Second Spectrum’s tracking statistics.
Although Nurkic leaves a lot to be desired in this area, his rebounding ability is actually very good, with a 45.3% contested rebound rate, helping Phoenix rank among the top ten in overall rebound rate in eight games.
I’m a little scared of LeBron James’ rebound totals here, especially considering how inconsistent he has been in that area all year. However, what I really want to do is bet on him scoring. He should get easier scoring minutes at the basket, as he likes to score there, and with Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes both questionable here, he should see plenty of minutes in the frontcourt .
The line seems pretty sharp as James has eclipsed 23 points in just half of his games, but I don’t think the ledger does enough to explain Nurkic’s subpar defense thus far.
I expect James to fill up the scoreboard in his first NBA in-season tournament.
pillar: Over 23.5 points (-110 at BetMGM)
LeBron James NBA wins streak in the same game
Lakers +3.5
LeBron James outscores 23.5 points
Jusuf Nurkic 10+ rebounds
This is a great way to combine all of our research. We’ve discussed how James should thrive in the paint, and we’ve discussed Nurkic’s rebounding ability.
While Davis and Hayes are expected to play, the Lakers will likely be careful with them given their injuries. With that in mind, and considering the Lakers currently rank just 24th in rebounding percentage this season, I think the Suns’ new center should be able to post double-digit rebounds for the fourth time this season.
I also really like this position for the Lakers. The Suns’ defense is very inconsistent, and they won’t be helping Devin Booker after he strained his right calf. On top of that, although Bradley Beal is back, he has yet to play full minutes.
I think it’s going to be a real struggle for the Suns to score against one of the strongest defensive units, and while we know the Lakers are always in trouble offensively, Phoenix’s soft paint defense should open things up for them . I have the Suns on uneasy alert.
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