Thursday night features the Battle of Los Angeles in the NBA as the Lakers host the Clippers. The home team is reeling from a season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, while the away team has yet to play a game yet.
This Western Conference clash features a ton of star power, so let's dig in with the three best NBA prop bets for this Clippers-Lakers game, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook's'NBA odds.
Clippers vs Lakers Player Props
1. Russell Westbrook Over 15.5 Points (-108)
Westbrook may not be the one-man wrecking crew he used to be, but he can still put the ball in the hoop on a regular basis as the Lakers' No. 3 scoring option after LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Westbrook scored 19 points in 31 minutes of action on opening night and averaged 18.5 points per game last y ear, so his scoring prop feels a bit low. Expect him to see plenty of scoring opportunities with the Clippers' defense keying in on James and Davis, enabling the former MVP to go over this points prop with ease.
2. Paul George Over 4.5 Assists (-108)
George has become a better facilitator since joining the Clippers in 2019, posting the two highest assist averages of his career in the last two seasons. He averaged over 5 dimes per game both years, including a personal-best 5.7 last season. His usage rate and assist rate have both gone up in four straight years, with his assist percentage nearly doubling from 14.5% in 2017-18 to 28.1% last season. George's passing has improved over time and he s hould be able to find his teammates for at least 5 assists on Thursday.
3. Kawhi Leonard Over 1.5 Made Threes (-136)
Leonard has been one of the NBA's better three-point shooters throughout his career, shooting 38.4% from downtown. That makes him a good bet to hit multiple threes in a game, as he usually only needs 4 or 5 attempts to do so. Leonard has averaged 1.9 treys per game over his last six seasons, draining them at a 39.1% clip. After missing all of last season with an ACL injury, don't be surprised if he's less aggressive driving to the rim and spends more time on the perimeter. He also should be able to exploit a Lakers defense that surrendered the third-most points in the NBA la st year.