We examine who will capture the first-ever In-Season Tournament championship and hoist the NBA Cup with our Pacers vs. Lakers NBA player props based on the best NBA odds.
It's official, the NBA's In-Season Tournament is not lame. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
Tyrese Haliburton has gotten the chance to shine on a national stage, delivering back-to-back wins for his Indiana Pacers thanks to phenomenal individual efforts.
Meanwhile, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns, and they embarrassed the New Orleans Pelicans in Thursday's semifinals matchup.
These two teams were the only ones to go 4-0 in group play, and they'll meet Saturday to determine the champion of an inaugural tournament that has exceeded expectations.
Who will emerge victorious: the budding superstar or one of the greatest players of all time who continues to spit in the face of Father Time?
Here are our best Pacers vs. Lakers NBA player props and NBA picks (odds via our best NBA betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Pacers vs. Lakers NBA player props
This is about as close to a lock as you can get for this matchup. James has been stellar in the Lakers' last two games, scoring at least 30 points in back-to-back matchups, playing heavy minutes, and hitting a ton of 3-pointers. He looks hungry and engaged, and we're certainly not betting on him slowing down in the scoring department here.
The Pacers consistently get into shootouts because of their league-worst defense, as they allow the most points per game and the highest 3-point shooting percentage.
James should have no problem exploiting a favorable matchup and staying hot as a scorer. He's scored at least 30 points in seven games this season, and four of those have come during In-Season Tournament contests.
It's obvious he cares about winning the NBA Cup, and his points prop is already set at 28.5 with -110 odds. You're telling me we can get plus-money odds by selling just a single point? Sign me up.
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This prop was set at 41.5 for Monday's game, 44.5 for Thursday's, and now it's 45.5 for the finals.
At this point, how can you bet against the hottest player in basketball? He's posted back-to-back double-doubles in the NBA Cup quarters and semis, and in his last three games overall, he's averaged an impressive 32.3 points, 12.7 assists, and 6.3 rebounds for 51.3 total.
He's gone Over this total in seven of 18 games this season, but five of those have come during his last seven outings.
Haliburton is on a roll, and it looks like he's on a mission to deliver the Pacers the NBA In-Season Tournament title.
The Lakers do their best to slow the pace and limit opposing teams' possessions, but the Pacers' offense is humming, and we can expect Indiana to set the tempo here. That should mean plenty of points, assists, and rebounds for Haliburton.
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Turner is averaging a career-best eight rebounds per game this season, and he's grabbed at least nine rebounds in 10 of 20 contests. That includes six of his last eight, and over that eight-game span, he's averaged 9.3 rebounds and pulled down at least 10 in each of his last three.
The Lakers rank 14th in rebounds allowed, so this is a middle-of-the-pack matchup on paper. Looking beyond that number, it's worth noting that L.A. will do its best to slow down Indiana's pace, and Anthony Davis is a formidable rebounder who will be battling Turner for boards all game.
Over the last five, the Lakers have allowed an opposing center to grab at least nine rebounds only once, and starting centers have averaged just 7.2 rebounds against them in those games.
We can also expect Turner to play more on the perimeter on offense in this game to spread the floor and draw Davis out of the paint. All of these factors point to a lower rebounding total for Turner, so we'll take the plus-money odds.
The odds for In-Season Tournament MVP have LeBron James as the clear favorite at -155. He's been impressive over his last two and during the NBA Cup as a whole, and his team is favored to win Saturday.
However, Haliburton has been as good as James, if not better, and he's put his team in a position to capture a title with a victory over one of the greatest ever and his veteran squad.
The Pacers were underdogs in each of their last two games, and they're in that role once again. Don't count Haliburton out of the MVP race. If the Pacers win (which they very well might), he will be the choice for MVP, and he's the smartest bang for your buck if you're looking to wager on this award.
Pacers-Lakers NBA player props made 12/8/2023 at 4:10 p.m. ET.
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