Two teams will look to avoid dropping to 0-3 in their second-round series on Saturday. The final contest of the night will be between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
We have you covered with a pair of prop predictions for OKC-LAL, including picks for LeBron James and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Continue below for our NBA player prop bets for Friday, May 8.
NBA Player Prop Bets for Friday, May 8
- LeBron James Over 22.5 Points (-107)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 28.5 Points (-102)
LeBron James Over 22.5 Points (-107)
Injuries haven't allowed LeBron James to take a step back in the playoffs during his age-41 season.
The Lakers' superstar has been forced to lead the way for his team in points and assists this postseason. Austin Reaves has returned to action, but Luka Doncic is still on the mend, which means James will likely continue to do some heavy lifting on Saturday.
James is set to play in his first home game of the second round in Game 3. His shooting hasn't been as efficient as usual, but he is averaging 24.0 points per game at home in the 2026 NBA Playoffs on 18.3 shots per contest.
He shot at least 10 free throws in two of the three home games he appeared in during the first round, and will likely get a friendlier whistle away from the Paycom Center.
Jalen Williams is still recovering from a hamstring strain, so OKC still lacks the positional size and durability at small forward to slow down James, who is averaging 25.0 points on 60.0% shooting against OKC in this series.
There's no reason to believe that James won't remain aggressive in a must-win game after logging no less than 36 minutes in Games 1 and 2, despite falling short by double-digits in those contests. The Thunder's elite defense hasn't slowed down James, but he doesn't have enough support to keep up with last year's champs.
Pick: LeBron James Over 22.5 Points (-107)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 28.5 Points (-102)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the league's most elite and consistent scorers, but he hasn't had to do too much in the second round.
Last year's regular season and NBA Finals MVP is averaging just 20.0 points per game against the Lakers in the second round. He's shot an efficient 53.6% from the field through Games 1 and 2, but the game script hasn't required him to take over.
The Thunder have won by an average of 18.0 points in each of their second-round games, so there's no reason for OKC to keep SGA on the court playing meaningless minutes down the stretch. Especially as a title favorite with nothing to gain from garbage time stats.
SGA put up at least 17 shots all four of his first-round outings against the Phoenix Suns, but hasn't cracked 15 field goal attempts against the Lakers in the second round. SGA is perfectly capable of scoring 30 or more points in Game 3, but all signs point to his projected shot volume making it hard for him to tally 29 on Saturday.
Picks: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 28.5 Points (-102)
