Bryan Armetta shares his favorite Luka Doncic prop bet for Tuesday’s game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Entering his first full season with the Lakers, expectations are high for Luka Doncic. Now, with LeBron James sidelined, the pressure is even higher on Los Angeles’ face of the franchise. The superstar will take the floor for the first time tonight against Steph Curry and the Warriors. What kind of performance can fans expect from Luka in this season-opening showdown?
The Warriors are 2.5-point favorites (-112) tonight on DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re priced at -148 on the Moneyline; the Lakers are +124 underdogs. The total for this game is set at 226.5 points. Here’s the top Luka Doncic prop bet for the season opener.
Best Luka Doncic Prop Bet
At this point, it’s difficult to under-sell how good Doncic has been. The five-time All-Star has done nearly everything on the court, other than winning an MVP or NBA championship. Last season, on both the Lakers and Mavs, he averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. In addition, the Slovenian delivered solid 45/36/78 shooting splits.
As previously mentioned, LeBron James (sciatica) is out tonight. That should give Doncic ample opportunity to control Los Angeles’ offense. Outside of Austin Reaves and newly acquired Deandre Ayton, this roster lacks scorers. In five games played without James last season, Luka averaged 30.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists.
Granted, tonight’s matchup may not be a walk in the park. Beyond typical opening night jitters, the Warriors are one of basketball’s top defensive units. Last season, the Dubs held opponents to 110.0 points per game, the NBA’s tenth-best mark. Jimmy Butler (ankle) is expected to play tonight, giving Golden State one of its better on-ball defenders. As always, the tenacious Draymond Green will be waiting down low.
With that being said, this is a matchup Doncic has thrived in. Over his previous ten games vs. the Warriors, the 26-year-old is averaging 31.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 10.0 assists. The latter mark is intriguing, considering Golden State is a tough team to pass against. Regardless, the do-it-all guard has found a way to pick apart this defense. With LeBron out, Doncic will serve as Los Angeles’ primary distributor. Outside of Reaves, it’s difficult to think of any other LA player filling a similar role.
In five of his previous eight meetings with Golden State, Doncic has recorded at least 39 combined points + assists. Those outings all came as either a member of the Mavericks or playing alongside LeBron James. Now, as ‘the guy’ on an otherwise middling roster, there’s no telling what this generational talent can do. An opening night masterpiece would be an ideal way for Luka to jump-start his MVP campaign.
Best Bet: Luka Doncic over 38.5 points + assists (-112)
