Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves sat out the second night of a back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, but he’s expected to play on Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks.
Reaves missed over a month with a calf strain he suffered on Dec. 25, and the Lakers clearly want to play things safe with the star guard, which is why he sat out the second half of a back-to-back. Reaves has been on a minutes restriction since returning, but he’s off the Lakers’ injury report on Thursday.
That’s a good sign for L.A., as it will be short-handed with Luka Doncic (hamstring) ruled out for the fourth game in a row. Reaves has helped pick up the slack without Doncic on several instances this season, and he’ll likely have time as the primary offensive option on Thursday night.
This season, Reaves is averaging 25.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Here’s a look at my favorite prop bet for the star guard in the team’s final regular-season game before the All-Star break.
Best Austin Reaves Prop Bet vs. Mavericks
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Austin Reaves UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-129)
Since returning from his calf injury, Reaves has appeared in four games, shooting 7-for-20 from beyond the arc in those matchups.
However, most of those made 3-pointers came in one game against the Philadelphia 76ers when he shot from 5-for-8 from deep.
Now, Reaves is set at 2.5 3-pointers even though he’s just 2-for-12 in his three other games since returning.
I am going to fade the Lakers guard in this prop, especially since he’s been on a minutes restriction as of late. Dallas ranks third in the NBA in opponent 3s made per game and No. 1 in opponent 3-point percentage, so this is a tougher matchup for Reaves and the Lakers’ shooters.
While the star guard may have a bigger game with Doncic out, I don’t expect him to resort to the 3-ball as his primary method of scoring. He’s taken five or fewer attempts from deep in three of his four games since coming back.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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