Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Player Prop Pick: Can Austin Reaves Step Up in Game 4?
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets player prop pick and prediction for Monday's Game 4. Austin Reaves has been the third-best Laker in the series to this point. Can he step up when facing elimination? Ben Rajavuori lets us in on his favorite play for tonight.
Ben Rajavuori - May 22, 2023, 5:03 PM EDT
3 minLos Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Player Prop Pick: Can Austin Reaves Step Up in Game 4?
The Lakers stormed through the first two rounds, beating the higher-seeded Grizzlies in six and defending champs in six, but now face a sweep in the conference finals down 0-3 going into tonight. If the Lakers don't want to get swept, they need players to step up, and the player I love to light the board up tonight is Austin Reaves.
Lakers vs. Nuggets Date, Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: May 22, 2023
- Game Time: 8:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Prediction
Austin Reaves has been one of the few bright spots for the Lakers in this series. He is shooting 55% from the field over the first three games and 56.5% from three. He is also averaging 4 rebounds and 6 assists in the series. He has been getting a lot of minutes as a result. He has averaged 39.3 minutes per game in this series after averaging 33.8 in the Warriors series and 36.5 in the Grizzlies series. Reaves has averaged his highest playing time of the entire season in this series, and that should continue with how well he has been playing. Another reason why he has stepped up is because of the absence of D'Angelo Russell.
Russell has disappeared in this series. Russell had a good final few games in the Grizzlies series and had a good series against the Warriors, averaging 14.7 points per game on 46% shooting. In the three games so far in this series, Russell is averaging 7 points per game and is shooting 29% from the field, as well as 14% from three. With Russell and Shroder going quieter, Reaves has stepped up and been one of the best scorers in this series. He can drive and score or get to the line, which he has done well, going 6-6 from the line in game three, and he can also light it up from deep. He is 13-23 from three (56.5%) from three over the first three games of the series, and he is intelligent with his shot selection.
Because this is an elimination game, I think there will be a lot of eyes on Lebron James and even Anthony Davis. The two are the leading postseason scorers for the Lakers, and LeBron has a history of going off in elimination games. That will open up the floor for Reaves, who is looking like he will play 40+ minutes tonight, which will give him several scoring opportunities. Reaves has been on fire from deep since game four of the Warriors series and is the best three-point option on the Lakers at the moment. Reaves has hit at least 22 points in his last four games and has flown over 17.5 in all three games in this series. Look for Reaves to stay hot in a do-or-die situation for the Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Player Prop Pick
Pick: (2 units) Austin Reaves O17.5 Points @ -110 Which sportsbook has the best odds? Find out here
NBA Odds
