Pelicans vs. Lakers NBA Player Props, Odds: NBA Cup Semifinals
The New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers face off Thursday in the NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals in Las Vegas, and we have you covered with our top Pelicans vs. Lakers NBA player props based on the best NBA odds.
The NBA In-Season Tournament has been a smashing success in its 2023 debut, and we should be in for a treat Thursday when the New Orleans Pelicans (12-10) and Los Angeles Lakers (13-9) meet in the semifinal round of the knockout stage in Las Vegas.
The Lakers survived a scare against the Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals, benefitting from a controversial timeout in the closing seconds to escape with a 106-103 win. The Pelicans didn't need any late-game luck, leading the Sacramento Kings for the entire second half to close out a 127-117 victory to advance to Thursday's semifinals.
To accompany our 2023 NBA Cup Odds, here are our best Pelicans vs. Lakers NBA player props and NBA picks (odds via ourbest NBA betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Pelicans vs. Lakers NBA player props: NBA Cup Semifinals
Anthony Davis Over 12.5 rebounds (-111 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Davis has been an absolute monster on the glass this season, ranking second in rebounds per game (12.6) and seventh in rebound rate (19.4%) through his first 21 games. And he's a strong bet to continue that torrid pace in Thursday's semifinals.
Davis was a force in Tuesday's win over the Suns, grabbing 15 rebounds with a ridiculous nine offensive boards. That marked his fourth consecutive game with at least 14 rebounds, and he's cleared this prop total of 12.5 boards in seven of his last eight contests, averaging 14 rebounds per game over that stretch.
He faces a slightly tougher matchup on Thursday against Pelicans big man Jonas Valanciunas, who also ranks in the top 15 in rebound rate (18.4%). That said, his reticence to stretch the floor should keep Davis in the paint for the majority of New Orleans' offensive possessions, which should help him reach this total once again.
There isn't a ton of variance on the pricing for this prop across our best sports betting apps, but these -111 odds at FanDuel are (slightly) better than the rest and help make this a comfortable five-star play.
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Zion Williamson Over 4.5 assists (-140 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This would also be a five-star play for me if it weren't dealing at such a short price. But with this prop trading as low as -155 at BetMGM, we'll take the relative discount at FanDuel on such a modest assists total.
We already highlighted our logic for this play in Monday's Pelicans-Kings preview, when Williamson cleared his 4.5-assist total with ease and even cashed our small sprinkle to have six assists, which we'd gladly bet again Thursday (+145 at FanDuel).
In short: the Pelicans have been a different team since a players-only meeting on Nov. 13, and Williamson has been a different player, averaging 5.6 assists with at least five dimes in nine of his last 10 games.
As long as the former No. 1 pick keeps bringing the ball up the court upward of 20 times per game, we'll keep betting the Over on his assists prop until our best sportsbooks catch up.
LeBron James Under 7.5 assists (-118 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
I'm less bullish on this bet than the other two, especially after James' Herculean performance in the quarterfinals. Yet it's hard to ignore the trends backing the Under on this prop, which is dealing as low as -135 at BetMGM.
While James finished with 11 assists on Tuesday, it was just his second game with double-digit dimes in 21 games this season. It was the first time he'd finished with more than seven assists in his last seven games, and he's cleared this prop only 10 times on the season.
It's hard not to feel like this number is being inflated by James' big night against Phoenix, and while he could follow that up with another epic showing in the semifinals, I'd wager on a more typical output from The King on Thursday.
Pelicans vs. Lakers NBA player props made 12/6/2023 at 5 p.m. ET.
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