The Minnesota Timberwolves will visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday to open their first-round playoff series, and there’s plenty of star power on display for those looking to make player prop bets tonight.
Like many people, I’m expecting Luka Doncic to show up big in his first postseason effort for the Lakers.
Let’s take a look at that and two other player prop bets I’m targeting for my Timberwolves vs. Lakers props and NBA picks for Saturday, April 19.
Be sure and visit Jason Logan's Timberwolves vs. Lakers picks and predictions for tonight's game.
Best Timberwolves vs Lakers props
Luka Doncic Over 29.5 points (-115 at bet365)- LeBron James Under 39.5 points + rebounds + assists (-115 at bet365)
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Anthony Edwards Under 5.5 assists (-145 at bet365)
Timberwolves vs Lakers player props for April 19
Luka Doncic Over 29.5 points (-115 at bet365)
While Luka Doncic was great for the Los Angeles Lakers in the regular season – his averages of 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in Los Angeles were almost identical to his numbers in Dallas – the truth is that he was brought in to make an impact in the playoffs.
For his career, Doncic has averaged 30.9 ppg in the postseason, and had 10 games in which he put up 30+ points during Dallas’ run to the NBA Finals last year. He also appeared to be gearing up for the playoffs late in the season, scoring 30+ points in four of his last five outings.
The X-factor here is LeBron James, who is still capable of taking over big games even at age 40. But LeBron looks like he’s willing to let Luka be the leading scorer for the Lakers, and he may also be somewhat limited due to a hip flexor strain tonight.
The Lakers will want Doncic to get off to a fast start for what they hope is a long playoff run, and he’s likely to go for 30+ points on any random night even in a vacuum. I love the Over on Doncic’s point total tonight.
LeBron James Under 39.5 points + rebounds + assists (-115 at bet365)
As I mentioned above, LeBron James probably won’t be 100% for tonight’s game as he continues to suffer the effects of a left hip flexor strain. There’s no real doubt that James will play, but that does have me wondering if he’ll have his typical impact or if he’s in line for fewer minutes than expected.
There are other reasons to question how much LeBron can load up his numbers in the box score tonight. Down the stretch, James came in Under his combined points/rebounds/assists total tonight of 39.5 in each of his last five games, and only got to 40+ in one of the last 12 contests overall.
The Timberwolves aren’t likely to allow the Lakers to run wild tonight, either. The Minnesota Timberwolves finished the year ranked sixth in the NBA in defensive rating (110.8), and are an above-average rebounding team.
The Wolves and Lakers both play at relatively slow paces, further limiting expectations across the board tonight.
Oddsmakers may be looking at LeBron’s recent playoff performances. In 2024, he scored a combined total of 40+ points in four of his five postseason games.
Anthony Edwards Under 5.5 assists (-145 at bet365)
After setting a career high in assists last year with 5.1 per game, Anthony Edwards saw his role transition even more into a pure scorer for the 2024-25 season, as he put up 27.6 ppg but saw his assists average drop to 4.5.
While Edwards still gets his fair share of the ball-handling responsibilities, Julius Randle (4.7 assists per game) and Mike Conley (4.5 assists per game) have allowed him to handle fewer possessions with the ball in his hands this year.
But does that mean Edwards really can’t get Over his total of 5.5 assists tonight? Recent history says that it’s highly unlikely. In fact, Edwards only went for 6+ assists once in his last 15 games, averaging 4.3 assists during that stretch.
The caveat to those numbers is the fact that Edwards took on a much larger role as a distributor during Minnesota’s playoff run last season. But I expect the addition of Randle to result in a much more balanced approach to ballhandling for the Timberwolves this postseason.
And as I mentioned above, the slow pace should depress overall offensive output tonight. I’m backing the Under on Edwards’ assists toal.
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