The Los Angeles Lakers have saved some of their best basketball for the In-Season Tournament this year — and LeBron James is sure to be at the heart of the action in tonight’s finale as they try to take down the Indiana Pacers.
This is a golden chance for James to add a new trophy to his glittering NBA resume, and the latest NBA odds suggest the Lakers have a slight edge over Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers.
The In-Season Tournament final takes center stage as the only contest on the Saturday schedule for NBA picks, and I’m taking a closer look at the LeBron James odds market for a man who’s no stranger to playing in big games.
Remember to also check out our Lakers vs. Pacers predictions and In-Season Tournament Final props for more top picks.
LeBron James NBA prop picks
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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LeBron James NBA prop pick
Over 7.5 assists (-120)
Given LeBron James’ impressive In-Season Tournament form, there are plenty of props to choose from tonight. He’s coming off a towering performance in the semifinal, making all four of his triples while scoring 30 points on just 12 shots.
Tonight, I’m looking at LeBron’s assist numbers for the tastiest prop pick. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar piled up eight dimes in just 23 minutes on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans, and he dished out 11 assists in the quarterfinal earlier in the week.
With James taking the keys to the offense more and more as the stakes have got bigger and bigger in this tournament, there’s every reason to think that he’ll be in playmaking mode tonight against an Indiana Pacers defense that’s allowing 125 points a game this year.
The Pacers love to play at a high tempo, but I expect the Lakers to slow the pace enough to dictate terms in the halfcourt — and there’s no one better than LeBron at bending defenses and finding open shooters. This L.A. offense ranks in the top 10 in assists per game (26.3), and many of those possessions run through James.
There should be mismatches to hunt too, whether that’s Haliburton, Buddy Hield, or T.J. McConnell. That’s a recipe for The King to get into the paint, draw defenders, and make the right play — basically, his bread and butter.
With all of the L.A. starters shooting 50% or better on Thursday, the offense is humming and I’m taking these odds for James to finish with at least eight assists for the third straight game.
LeBron James NBA same-game parlay
LeBron James Over 7.5 assists
Lakers moneyline
Myles Turner Over 9.5 rebounds
The Lakers are 6-0 in the In-Season Tournament, and I see their blend of hard-nosed defense and big-game experience shining through in this final. While Haliburton is a matchup nightmare, L.A. can count on Anthony Davis to wall off the paint and James to roam as a help defender.
The Lakers shot 54% from the field in the semifinal and the Pacers’ porous defense opens the door to similar production here. An Indiana win would be a fantastic fairytale ending for the first year of the In-Season Tournament, but I’m still siding with the L.A. star power coming out on top down the stretch.
It’s also worth noting that the Lakers have won four of the past six meetings between these teams, and they’re 4-1 in their past five games overall.
I’m also backing Myles Turner to finish off this SGP. Turner is coming off a crucial 26-point, 10-rebound night against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, and he’s tallied double-digit boards in his last three outings.
Turner’s consistency jumps off the screen — at least eight boards in each of his last eight contests — and he could be in line for 35+ minutes with a trophy on the line.
The Pacers need Turner to hold his own against Davis in one of the final’s critical matchups, and he had 13 rebounds in both of Indiana’s clashes with L.A. last season. The Lakers’ length could be the X-factor tonight, but Turner is Indiana’s best chance at keeping the favorites at bay.
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