LeBron James Odds and NBA Props: Can't Stop the King

The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns will take part in their very first NBA In-Season Tournament games on Friday night, and with injuries mounting for the Lakers the NBA odds spotlight should belong to LeBron James in his first-ever participation in the new tournament.

Let’s break down our best NBA player props for LeBron James odds in the Lakers’ opening game of the In-Season Tournament.

Don't forget to look at our full-game Lakers vs. Suns predictions, as well as our NBA Picks props column.

LeBron James NBA prop picks

• Over 23.5 points (-110 at BetMGM)
• Lakers +3.5 + LeBron James Over 23.5 points + Jusuf Nurkic 10+ rebounds (+425 at DraftKings)

Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

LeBron James NBA prop pick

Over 23.5 points (-110)

My focus on this game is going to be in the paint. The Phoenix Suns struggled to defend bigs last year with Deandre Ayton as their primary center, and Jusuf Nurkic hasn’t been any better. The big man has allowed 60.4% shooting as the primary defender this year, making him a below-average center in that regard according to Second Spectrum tracking stats.

While he’s left a lot to be desired in that regard, Nurkic has actually been excellent on the glass with a solid 45.3% contested rebound rate, helping Phoenix rise into the top 10 in overall rebounding rate through eight games.

I’m a bit scared off LeBron James’ rebounding total here, particularly given the fact that he’s been inconsistent in that area all year. What I do want to do, however, is bet on him to score. He should have an easier time scoring around the rim, where he likes to score, and with both Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes questionable here he should see plenty of minutes in the frontcourt.

The line here appears rather sharp, given James has eclipsed 23 points in exactly half of his games, but I don’t think the books are accounting enough for Nurkic’s lackluster defense to this point.

I expect James to fill up the scoring column in his first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament game.

Prop: Over 23.5 Points (-110 at BetMGM)

LeBron James NBA same-game parlay

Lakers +3.5

LeBron James Over 23.5 points

Jusuf Nurkic 10+ rebounds

+425 at DraftKings

This is a nice way to combine all of our research into a spicy parlay. We’ve covered how James should thrive inside, and we’ve also discussed Nurkic’s rebounding proficiency.

While Davis and Hayes are expected to play, there is a decent chance given their injuries that the Lakers will be careful with them. When you factor in that in and consider that the Lakers are only 24th in rebounding rate to this point in the season, I think the new Suns center should be able to post double-digit rebounds for the fourth time this season.

I also really like the Lakers in this spot. The Suns have been very inconsistent on defense and won’t have the services of Devin Booker here after he suffered a right calf strain. On top of that, while Bradley Beal is back he’s not yet playing his full complement of minutes.

I think scoring is going to be a real dilemma for the Suns against one of the stronger defensive units around, and while we know the Lakers are always in a tough spot offensively but the soft paint defense of Phoenix should open things up for them here. I am putting the Suns on upset alert.

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