Trust LeBron James to Go Over Point Total Prediction
By Peter Dewey
LeBron James is already in playoff mode, as he hit an insane 34-footer to clinch the No. 7 seed for the Los Angeles Lakers in their play-in game against the Golden State Warriors.
James has looked relatively healthy since returning for the final two games of the 2020-21 NBA regular season, and Vegas has taken notice. WynnBET has the Lakers as favorites to take down the No. 2 seed Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles is a two-point favorite in Game 1, and the defending champs are an absolute juggernaut with James and Anthony Davis healthy.
James has an enticing player prop for the opening game of the series, as his projected point total is set for 23.5 points on Sunday with the over (-120) being favored to the under (+100). Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but you need to trust LeBron today.
After dropping a triple-double in the play-in game, James showed he was willing to do whatever it took to claim the No. 7 spot. That’s always been his playoff mentality, as he’s compiled mind-blowing statistical performances year after year to get to the NBA Finals.
I don’t expect this season to be any different. The Lakers are going to have their hands full with Chris Paul, Devin Booker and the Suns, but James is a great bet to go over his projected point total. He only dropped 22 points in the play-in game, but he had gone over the 23-point threshold in both of his regular season tune ups prior to the matchup with the Warriors.
However, if we really want to talk about playoff LeBron, we have to point to the fact that he has scored over 23 points in his last 10 playoff games. In addition, LeBron has never averaged less than 23.5 points per game in the playoffs in his career. That’s right, James’ lowest per game total in the playoffs came in the 2010-11 season when he averaged 23.7 a game.
If the Lakers steal Game 1 on the road, it would put them in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the series. James finished off every Western Conference team in five games last postseason, and WynnBET has the Lakers to win in six games as the +325 favorite for this year's opening round.
A Game 1 win would go a long way for the Lakers taking this series in six. James is out to prove he can win a title with a bum ankle, and I’d expect him to come out in attack mode to set the tone Sunday night.