USATSI
Out of the eight first-round NBA playoff series, there are two that are still tied at a game apiece. One of those matchups tips off tonight, with the Minnesota Timberwolves hosting the Los Angeles Lakers for Game 3 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Lakers were -186 favorites to advance through the first round ahead of Game 1, compared to the Timberwolves’ +156 price. After Minnesota’s Game 1 stunner and Los Angeles’ Game 2 response, that gap has closed considerably. The Lakers are now slight -118 series favorites, whereas the Timberwolves are +100. If the sixth-seeded Timberwolves were to pull off the series upset, it would be just the third time in LeBron James‘ career that he will have been bounced in the first round.
Minnesota opened as a 1.5-point home favorite against Los Angeles, but this spread has been bet up to Minnesota -3. The Timberwolves are -153 (bet $153 to win $100) on the money line, according to SportsLine consensus, while the Lakers are +128 (bet $100 to win $128) underdogs.
But what if you want to bet on player props, particularly on whether James has a huge Game 3 performance? The SportsLine model has you covered. It continuously refreshes the most recent available data and can help you spot the biggest discrepancies in the lines. The SportsLine model, which can be found on every game forecast page on SportsLine under the “Prop Picks” tab, assigns ratings of up to five stars for each projected value play on every NBA slate. Those picks can be integral to building winning parlays on DraftKings, FanDuel, PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy or Sleeper Fantasy and in same-game parlays on any betting site.
Let’s check out the SportsLine model’s three highest-rated player prop recommendations for Lakers-Timberwolves and see what the payout would be if they were put into a same-game parlay — and check out the optimal same-game parlay for every playoff game on Friday’s NBA schedule at SportsLine.
Lakers-Timberwolves SGP (+768)
- Luka Doncic Over 7.5 assists (+114): 4 stars
- LeBron James Over 6.5 assists (+116): 4 stars
- Rudy Gobert Over 19.5 points + rebounds (-114): 4 stars
To help boost the odds of this SGP, the SportsLine model is rolling with a pair of plus-money 4-star plays. Not only does it like Doncic Over assists with him projected for 8.4, but it also likes James’ Over for the same prop with him calculated for 7.4 assists. There’s one assists trend to note with James, as he’s gone Over this prop in nine of his past 10 games when the Lakers have been road underdogs and facing a team with a winning record. Meanwhile, Gobert has gone Over his points + rebounds prop in five straight home games and is projected to extend that streak to six with the SportsLine model spitting out 23.6 for tonight.
