Clippers vs. Mavericks: The best player prop bets for Game 6

With the Lakers vanquished last night by Devin Booker’s heroics, the L.A. Clippers now stand as the lone Los Angeles team with a chance to win it all. Strange days indeed. Still, to do it they have quite a hill to climb against the Dallas Mavericks.

After losing the first two games, the Clippers were written off for dead only to storm back and dominate on the road to tie the series. And with Luka looking hobbled in Game 4, it seemed they had retaken the initiative. But the Slovenian superstar showed no ill effects from his lingering neck injury in Game 5, and some clever defensive adjustments threw a wrench in L.A.’s normally well-oiled offensive machinery.

Game 6 is set to start at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, and sees the Mavericks not only trying to close out the series but also striving to get the first home win by either team. We have the three best player prop bets and odds for you below.

KAWHI LEONARD OVER/UNDER 29.5 POINTS

L.A.’s offense sputtered in Game 5 and they needed a 9-0 run in the fading moments just to get to 100 points. Why? In part, it was head coach Rick Carlisle’s decision to mix in some zone defense and go super-big on the interior by starting Kristaps Porzingis and Boban Marjanovic in the Dallas frontcourt together.

The Clippers were third to last in drives per game in the regular season, the definition of a jump-shooting team. But in the playoffs so far? They’ve been first, as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have been slinking into the paint and carving Dallas up inside.

Not so in Game 5, with two giants and selective zone. The Clippers finished just 41.3% from the field, their lowest mark for the series. It particularly hurt Kawhi, who still uses the midrange game to set up the rest of his offense, something that Dallas going zone made difficult.

Expect the Mavericks to continue to mix up their defensive looks on Kawhi, and for him to hit the Under on points in Game 6.

PICK: UNDER 29.5 POINTS (-115)

---

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS OVER/UNDER 6.5 REBOUNDS

Kristaps Porzingis, supposedly the Dallas Mavericks’ second star, has averaged a rather pitiful 13.8 points and 4.4 rebounds this series. And though he hit a dagger 3-pointer off a beauty of a Luka bullet pass, there’s reason to think his numbers will continue to fall.

The zone worked, which means that Carlisle will likely continue to play Boban alongside the already rebound-allergic Porzingis. In addition, the stellar play by Dwight Powell as a roll man for Luka could also see a reduction in the Latvian forward’s minutes. With both his minutes and role on the glass likely diminished, expect Porzingis to hit the Under.

PICK: UNDER 6.5 REBOUNDS (-152)

---

REGGIE JACKSON OVER/UNDER 2.5 3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE

Reggie Jackson has been something of an unsung hero for the Clippers, with the sudden evaporation of Patrick Beverley and the decidedly non-playoff version of Rajon Rondo L.A. has gotten at times.

At the start of the year, few would have guessed that Reggie Jackson would be the most important guard in the Clippers’ playoff rotation. Next to zero would have guessed it last year.

And yet, here we are. Jackson is averaging a very healthy 39% from deep in the playoffs and is getting up 8.2 attempts per game, and in Game 5 he went 6-12. As the old adage goes, the best way to beat a zone is to shoot your way out of it. So those shots should be there for him again in Game 6, and he has proven more than capable of knocking them down this year.

PICK: OVER 2.5 3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE (-110)