Warriors vs. Lakers: The best player prop bets for the play-in tournament

When Adam Silver greenlit the NBA’s play-in tournament we’re pretty sure he didn’t envision the Los Angeles Lakers squaring off against the Golden State Warriors.

After all, the Lakers won their 17th championship in franchise history as recently as October, while the Warriors are the league’s most recent dynasty, having made five straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015-19.

However, the two franchises fell on hard times this season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined to miss 63 games, while the Warriors stumbled out of the gates while playing without five-time All-Star Klay Thompson. Now they’ll meet for a chance to advance to the playoffs.

The winner of Wednesday night’s game at Staples Center will earn the No. 7 seven seed and will face the Phoenix Suns in the first round. The loser will face the winner of the San Antonio Spurs-Memphis Grizzlies play-in game for a chance to secure the No. 8 seed.

The Lakers, who have won five straight - and are finally healthy - are favored by five points.

We’ve examined the matchup closely and have selected the three best players props to wager on.

Steph Curry Over/Under 36.5 points

No player has been hotter over the past month than Steph Curry, who has averaged 36.8 points per game in May, and has erupted for 40 points or more in three of his last seven games. On the surface, 36.5 points might seem like a conservative projection, but the two-time MVP has struggled this season against the Lakers.

Curry is averaging just 23.0 points per game against L.A. this season, his third lowest output against any team. He looked especially shaky on Feb. 28, when he scored just 16 points on 5-13 shooting from the field and 2-7 from beyond the arc, and was woefully inefficient in two of his three outings against the Lakers.

Part of the issue is a lack of support, but the Lakers also boast the NBA’s best defense and are uniquely well suited to contain Curry. Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope both have the speed and tenacity to stay in front of the Warriors star, while Alex Caruso has emerged as a lockdown perimeter defender in his own right. Should Curry slip past them, he’ll be met at the tin by four-time All-Defensive Team selection Anthony Davis, four-time rebounding champ Andre Drummond, and former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol.

Curry won’t leave any bullets in the chamber, but he will come up short of Wednesday's projected total.

Pick: Under 36.5 (-110)

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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Over/Under 9.5 points

Caldwell-Pope may make his bones on defense, but he’s a capable scorer who can also light up the scoreboard when given the opportunity. The 28-year-old guard averaged 9.7 points per game this season, and has had double-digit scoring outbursts in seven of his last nine games.

He’s also no stranger to playoff intensity. KCP averaged 12.8 points per game in the NBA Finals a year ago, and was the Lakers’ third most important player during their championship run. Count on him scoring 10 points or more on Wednesday evening.

Pick: Over 9.5 (-113)

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Draymond Green Over/Under 8.5 assists

Curry is Golden State’s point guard, but Draymond Green is the team’s most important playmaker. The three-time All-Star averaged a career-high 8.9 assists in 2020-21 and dished out 19 dimes twice this season.

Green’s 13.1% usage percentage is down considerably from his prime, but he’s making better decisions with the ball than ever before, and a higher percentage of his passes are ending up as easy buckets. Expect him to eclipse nine assists by early in the fourth quarter as he spearheads the Warriors’ potent attack.

Pick: Over 8.5 (-115)