While LeBron James may have brushed off the comments made by Dillon Brooks after the Grizzlies won Game 2 of their NBA Playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, intrigue is building on what the two players will do in Game 3 on Saturday night and beyond.
Brooks called James "old" and also noted that he won't respect James until the Lakers forward "gives [him] 40." James responded in his subsequent media session, saying he wanted to focus on the basketball rather than Brooks' comments.
After generally side stepping questions about Dillon Brooks’ comments, LeBron James cut off his media availability with a simple message. pic.twitter.com/yVcWNWf5g4
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 21, 2023
What should we expect of the two players on Saturday? Read on to see how our Action Labs projections are using data to project the best props to target for the two players.
LeBron James Player Props, Picks
*Odds and projections as of Saturday morning
If you're expecting James to have a career night based on Brooks' comments, the numbers won't be in alignment with you.
The two most valuable props for James tonight — according to our data — are both unders. First, an 8/10 grade is present for James' u1.5 steals line, listed at -190 at DraftKings. Our numbers project James at 0.9 steals on the game.
Additionally, we have a 7/10 grade for u38.5 points + rebounds at -110 at PointsBet. Our projection for this total is 36.5.
Dillon Brooks Player Props, Picks
For Brooks, we have a few 10/10 grades, both also coming in on the low side of a few props.
First, Brooks' point total of 14.5 is able on the under at +100 at betPARX, while we project the total at 11.3. Further, the under 2.5 on Brooks' 3-point prop at -145 via DraftKings has also garnered a 10/10 grade.
While it's possible these players have big nights with a bit of inspiration from comments made, they would be upending the numbers in doing so.
