Los Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks Prop Pick: Can Austin Reaves Step Up For Lakers Amid Injuries?
The Los Angeles Lakers are banged up on the road, and will be taking on the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. Can Austin Reaves step up and deliver while Anthony Davis sits out? Ben Rajavuori provides his top prop pick in Lakers vs. Hawks.
Ben Rajavuori - January 30, 2024, 4:16 PM EST
5 minLos Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks Prop Pick: Can Austin Reaves Step Up For Lakers Amid Injuries?
The Los Angeles Lakers continue their road trip tonight as they head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks. The Lakers are coming off a loss against the Rockets, in which Anthony Davis reaggravated an Achilles injury that will cause him to miss tonight‘s game against the Hawks. As such, the Lakers are six-point underdogs against the Hawks, who are coming off a win at home against the Raptors on Sunday. What should we expect in this game without Anthony Davis and possibly LeBron James?
LAKERS VS. HAWKS DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: January 29, 2024
- Game Time: 7:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks Prediction
Losing Anthony Davis is a blow to the offense and defense for the Lakers, as Anthony Davis is a great defender in the paint. He also puts up 24.9 points per game, which is second on the team. LeBron James is also questionable for tonight, but recent reports have said that he wants to play and is now probable. With the injuries for the Lakers, this leaves more scoring opportunities for the other starters, like Austin Reaves. Austin Reaves, the Lakers' shooting guard, has been in and out of the starting rotation this season, but he has been starting more consistently recently. Reaves is fourth on the team with 14.9 points per game. While D’Angelo Russell has taken over the starting point guard position, Reaves still handles the ball a lot, and is a good role player for the Lakers. With Anthony Davis out, Reaves will have more opportunities to score, as he also has an excellent matchup against this Hawks team. The Hawks have let shooting guards run wild on them all season. The Hawks are allowing the most points per game to shooting guards, giving up 24.34 points per game to the position. The Hawks also have a pretty bad defense overall, as they rank 27th in the NBA in defensive rating. They also prefer to play at a very fast pace, ranking fifth in pace of play in the NBA. The Lakers are not far behind, ranking sixth in pace of play in the NBA, so this should be a fast-moving game. This should be a big game for the Lakers guards, as the Hawks have really struggled to defend against opposing guards this season. Given that both teams prefer a high pace of play, we should see a lot of shots going up early in the shot clock, and maximizing potential points. The last time Austin Reaves played without Anthony Davis, he had 22 points. His line tonight is 15.5, and that is very doable in this matchup against the Hawks. Reaves only played 30 minutes last night, so he should play more on the back end of this back-to-back, as he is averaging 33 minutes per game in January.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks Prediction
Pick: Austin Reaves Over 15.5 Points (-122) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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