Zach Thompson details his best player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday’s matchup between the Lakers and the Magic.
The NBA has 10 games on the scoreboard this Saturday with matchups spread throughout the late afternoon and evening. The NBA TV doubleheader tips off with a nice marquee matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Kia Center. The nonconference matchup features two teams that are both in playoff position and with good momentum as they race for a higher seed. Let’s take a look at each side of this contest and pinpoint a few juicy player prop bets that make sense to consider putting on your betting card for this Lakers-Magic matchup on Saturday night.
In the bigger picture, the Lakers are currently 2.5-point road favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a game total of 233.5 points. The Magic beat the Lakers in Los Angeles on Feb. 24, but the Lakers have won eight straight coming into the rematch.
The Lakers have gone 11-2 since they lost to the Magic, and have started this road trip 3-0 by knocking off the Rockets twice and the Heat on Thursday in their most recent game. They have improved to 45-25 on the season and are up to the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference. The Magic have also been solid lately, winning seven straight before losing each of their last three games. They are No. 6 in the Eastern Conference right now, with the Hawks, Heat and 76ers all within one game of them in one of the most exciting playoff races coming down the stretch.
Of note on the injury report, Austin Reaves is questionable for the Lakers. Franz Wagner, Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac remain out for the Magic, while Wendell Carter Jr. is questionable to return after missing Thursday’s game.
Lakers vs. Magic Best Prop Bets
Deandre Ayton o7.5 Rebounds (-111)
The uncertainty of Reaves makes the Lakers’ backcourt and scoring a little tricky to get a grasp on, especially with Luka already carrying so much work but bringing high prop lines as a result. Instead of diving into a Luka prop, I’ll start my Lakers picks for this Saturday by backing Ayton to get at least eight boards.
Ayton is averaging 8.2 rebounds per game on the year, but he has had just four rebounds in each of his last two games against Alperen Sengun of the Rockets and Bam Adebayo of the Heat. Before those two down games this week, though, Ayton had gone over this prop line in five straight games overall and seven straight games when he played at least 20 minutes.
In his matchup with the Magic earlier this season, Ayton grabbed 13 rebounds in 32 minutes while adding 21 points as well. Since the scoring load is uncertain, we’ll just go to the glass for this prop on Saturday and pick Ayton to bounce back and get back to his normal rebound level. If Carter is out for a second straight game, that would only give Ayton a better matchup.
Desmond Bane o21.5 Points (-104)
Bane has had to be big for the Magic, and he always seems to rise to the occasion in marquee matchups like this one. He has been helping to carry the load while Franz Wagner is out and is averaging 20.6 points per game this season after joining the Magic via trade this past offseason.
Bane had 24 points in his last game on Thursday against the Hornets, going over this prop for the third time in his last six games. Over his last 20 games, he has gone over this prop line 13 times, including his 22 points against the Lakers in their first meeting of the season.
Getting a big game from Bane will be a key to the Magic keeping this contest close against the Lakers, and Bane has gone over this prop line in four of his last five games in this specific matchup dating back to his time with the Grizzlies.
LeBron James u12.5 Rebounds + Assists (-128)
In order to avoid the variance of Reaves being in or out, let’s target another non-scoring prop from the Lakers’ side of the matchup. James has averaged 12.8 rebounds plus assists in his 48 games this season, and he had a huge 25 rebounds and assists as part of his triple-double on Thursday against the Heat.
However, that was obviously a special matchup for The King as he returned to South Beach. Before that huge outburst of assists and boards, he had been under this prop line in three straight games and seven of his previous 11.
He had 21 points against the Magic in their first meeting this season but only six rebounds and four assists to come in under this prop line.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Jevon Carter o7.5 Points (-117)
If you’re building an SGP (Same Game Parlay) from this Saturday night contest, one option to boost the odds even higher is by backing Carter to go over this points prop line. Adding this fourth player prop into the mix boosts the SGP all the way up to +1100 for these four Lakers-Magic bets.
Carter has stepped up for the Magic as the primary backup in the backcourt lately. He has at least 11 points in three straight contests and has gone over this prop line in seven of his last 12 games.
