We could be in for an epic Friday night of postseason hoops, as LeBron James and the seventh-seeded Lakers (-2.5) host Steph Curry and the defending-champion Warriors for Game 6 of their semifinals clash at Crypto.com Center (10 p.m. ET, ESPN). We already made our final score prediction and best bets for this pivotal tilt. Now, we will serve up our favorite SuperDraft player props for what should be a Friday night to remember.
If Los Angeles wins, it will be the first time in the Steve Kerr era the Warriors lost a best-of-seven playoff series to a Western Conference team. If Golden State wins, the Dubs would be vying to become just the 14th team out of 273 to win a series after falling behind 3-1. Needless to say, this feels like a "must-win" for both sides and must-see TV for all hoops fans and bettors.
Nobody truly knows what to expect out of tonight's game from a betting perspective. As I wrote in our betting preview, it feels like LeBron's unstoppable force meeting Steph's immovable object. In what figures to be a closely contested matchup, we actually feel more confident betting on a prop parlay on SuperDraft than we do attacking this evening's moneyline or spread.
MORE NBA BETTING: LAL-GSW preview | NYK-MIA preview | NYK-MIA props
On SuperDraft, bettors can pick an over/under on two or more player props. When both props hit in a two-leg parlay, bettors win up to 3X the amount wagered. Each time another prop gets added, the return profit increases. Think of it as a "Same Game Parlay." More legs equal more risk, but also a bigger potential payout. However, not all players have the same props, so keep that in mind as you pick your over/under plays and try to win some cash during tonight's game.
SuperDraft Player Prop Picks for Lakers-Warriors Game 6
Klay Thompson, G/F, Warriors — OVER 22 points
"Game 6 Klay" has been an NBA legend since the 2016 Western Conference Finals when the Warriors sharpshooter knocked down 11 treys and scored 41 points in a comeback win over the Thunder. A whopping 19 of those 41 points came in the fourth quarter, helping erase an eight-point deficit to ultimately beat OKC by seven.
We expect the legend of Game 6 Klay to continue this evening, with Thompson stepping up and rebounding big time from his poor offensive effort in Game 5. He finished Games 1 and 2 with 25 and 30 points, respectively, but has just 11 field goals combined across Games 3, 4, and 5. We don't see these struggles extending to a fourth consecutive game, considering his track record for coming up huge when the Dubs are either up 3-2 or down 3-2.
Thompson's three-point percentage across 14 career Game 6 contests is 45.8, and his points-per-game average in Golden State's five Game 6 affairs since Kevin Durant got hurt in the 2019 NBA Finals against Toronto is 24.0. A strong word of advice: Don't bet against the legend.
LeBron James, F, Lakers — OVER 9 rebounds
Bron's assist totals may be well below his postseason career average, but his rebounding has gone way up. The modern GOAT has pulled down nine-plus boards in eight of L.A.'s 11 games during the 2023 Playoffs, and he has reached double-digits five times. With AD getting dinged up thanks to a Kevon Looney backhand in Game 5, expect King James to crash the boards even more this evening. We've seen Jarred Vanderbilt, the Lakers' best rebounder not named LeBron or AD, see his minutes decline a bit more with each passing game of this series (25-19-15-11-10), which means LeBron needs to get a body on Andrew Wiggins or Draymond Green while Davis tussles with Kevon Looney or JaMychal Green. We like James to easily clear 10 boards this evening in the pivotal Game 6.
Steph Curry, PG, Warriors — OVER 32 points
While "Game 6 Klay" enjoys the storybook narrative for this particular contest, we also can't overlook Curry's flair for the dramatic in elimination games. The greatest shooter of all time dropped a 50-piece on the Kings in Game 7 of the Dub's opening-round series, and he piled up 34 points in Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals in Boston to cement Golden State's fourth league championship in seven years. We don't like this prop as much as we like the Klay one — Steph has hit 33 points just twice this postseason — but the man just posted 27 points in Game 5 despite shooting 3-of-11 from three-point land. We think a bounce-back long-range effort is in store, and another legacy game will be added to the illustrious career of the reigning Finals MVP.
Gary Payton II, G, Warriors — OVER 9.5 points
GP2 has been a cheat code for Steve Kerr and the Warriors since the head coach inserted him into the starting lineup ahead of Game 4. The scrappy, defensive-minded guard injects a level of tenacity that irks opponents, and his instinct for getting open, attacking the rim, and scoring second-chance points has helped Golden State's offense tremendously. All told, Payton had the best plus-minus of Game 5, a whopping +25, so we don't expect Kerr to change things up anytime soon. GP2 scored 15 points in Game 4 and 13 points in Game 5, so 10 in Game 6 should be a lock.
D'Angelo Russell, PG, Lakers — OVER 15.5 points
D'Lo has averaged 18.3 points per game across L.A.'s seven wins during this year's NBA Playoffs but just 10.3 per game across the Lakers' four losses. Expect Darvin Ham to get Russell going early and often, putting some pressure on Curry and GP2 to stop him. James and AD have the utmost confidence in D-Lo's inside-outside scoring chops, so don't be surprised if the guard takes 13-20 shots this evening.
