Zach Thompson details his best player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Sunday’s matchup between the Celtics and the Lakers.
The NBA has a great Sunday of action lined up, filled with some great matchups throughout the day. One of the best games on the board features the Boston Celtics heading to crypto.com Arena to take on the Los Angeles Lakers at 6:30 p.m. ET. Both sides of this historic rivalry are in playoff position coming into the matchup, and it should be a big-game atmosphere with plenty of drama and excitement. Let’s break down the matchup and find some Celtics at Lakers player prop bets that make sense to add to your betting card for Sunday’s rivalry game.
In the overall picture, the Celtics are slight 1.5-point road favorites with the point total at 229.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Aside from Jayson Tatum, both teams are fairly healthy and should be at full strength for this spotlight game on NBC/Peacock.
The Celtics beat the Warriors by 11 on Thursday in their first game after the break to improve to 36-19, which has them second in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers defeated the Clippers on Friday in their first game after the break, and they are 34-21, sitting fifth in the West. The Celtics won the first matchup between these teams, 126-105, back on Dec. 5.
Let’s take a look at some of the top player prop bets from both the Celtics and the Lakers in this Saturday night matchup. These picks can be used as standalone plays or combined in a Same Game Parlay (SGP), as indicated at the bottom of the post.
Celtics at Lakers Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Jaylen Brown o35.5 Points + Rebounds (-115)
Brown has been the focus of the Celtics’ offense all season while Jayson Tatum recovers from his Achilles injury. In his last two games against the Lakers, JB scored 31 points with six rebounds last March, and then earlier this season, he delivered 30 points and eight rebounds to go over this prop line.
For the season, Brown is averaging 36.2 points plus rebounds, and on the road, he is averaging 37.4 points plus rebounds per game. He went over this prop line in his first game back after the break, producing 38 points plus rebounds while also tacking on 13 assists to lead Boston past Golden State.
In his last 13 games, he has gone over this prop line nine times, with most of the times he fell short either while he was battling an injury or playing fewer minutes due to blowouts. If this game stays close as the line indicates, Brown has a good chance to get over this prop line once again.
Austin Reaves O2.5 3PM (+107)
Reaves has at least three 3PM (three-pointers made) in each of his last four games against the Celtics, and he has a good chance to extend that streak in this matchup now that he’s back to his normal workload.
With Luka Doncic and LeBron James back in the mix after the break, Reaves went 4-for-5 from long range against the Clippers, scoring 29 points in 33 minutes. With those two stars in the lineup, Reaves typically gets good looks and does a good job of knocking them down.
Reaves was playing fewer minutes since returning from a calf injury, but the All-Star break should help him be ready for a bigger role on Sunday night.
Derrick White 7+ Assists (+122)
White had eight assists in Thursday’s game against the Warriors and has gone over this alternate assist line in six of his last eight games.
For the year, White is averaging 5.6 assists, but he has been more active in running the offense lately, since Payton Pritchard has moved to the bench after the Anfernee Simons trade.
White has a history of stepping up in big games and will be a key to the Celtics looking to get a big road win Sunday afternoon. He has at least six assists in four of his last five matchups with the Lakers as well, and with the extra responsibilities he’s carrying, I love getting this prop line at plus-money.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Luke Kennard O5.5 Points (-132)
If you’re building an SGP (Same Game Parlay) from this Sunday matchup, adding in the over on Kennard’s points boosts the odds to a solid +1100 for these four Celtics-Lakers bets.
The Lakers acquired Kennard to add shooting and scoring, and the veteran has gone over this points prop line in each of his five games with the team. He only played 18 minutes in each of his last two games but scored nine points against both the Mavericks and the Clippers.
