The Boston Celtics lost more than a game on Monday when star forward Jayson Tatum stayed on the ground after diving for a loose ball. The three-time All-NBA First Team player was lost for several months after rupturing his left Achilles tendon in his team’s 121-113 loss to the New York Knicks.
Boston has little time to recoup from Tatum’s season-ending injury. The Celtics return home tonight to face the Knicks, trailing 3-1 in their seven-game series. A win will send New York to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000, snapping a 24-year drought that’s tied for the third-longest in the NBA.
Will the Knicks move forward with a decisive win over the Celtics, or can Boston rally without their star? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player prop bets for Wednesday’s Eastern Conference semifinal game.
Live player props data coming soon for Jalen Brunson.
New York Knicks PG Jalen Brunson UNDER 2.5 3-Pt Field Goals
The Celtics could go with a taller lineup without Tatum, using their size to slow down the Knicks’ talented guards. That’s why Jalen Brunson could find his life a little harder when New York heads north to Boston.
While he’ll still find his shots, bettors should expect that he’ll have fewer opportunities at three-pointers. That’s why the smart money is on Bruson missing the mark to cover this long-distance shooting prop bet on Wednesday.
Live player props data coming soon for Jaylen Brown.
Boston Celtics SG Jaylen Brown OVER 25.5 Points
Without Tatum, the Celtics will look to guard Jaylen Brown to carry the offensive burden. The nine-year veteran has done that in the past, carrying Boston to the NBA title last year by winning the MVP award with his outstanding play.
There are plenty of reasons to believe he won’t accomplish this significantly higher prop mark. Foremost, he hasn’t scored more than 24 points against the Knicks this season, including a series-best 23 points in Game 1. And second, he’s scored 26 or more points only four times since the NBA All-Star break.
Still, savvy bettors will take the over as Brown produces when called upon. Expect him to finish with at least 30 points on Wednesday against the Knicks, easily covering this scoring prop bet.
Live player props data coming soon for Karl-Anthony Towns.
New York Knicks C Karl-Anthony Towns OVER 31.5 Pts + Reb
Karl-Anthony Towns is living up to the Knicks’ expectations for him in this series. The seven-footer has dipped offensively versus the regular season, scoring just 19.8 points against the Celtics compared to his 24.8 regular-season average.
Where he’s become invaluable is his rebounding. During this semifinal series, he’s averaging 14 boards per game, higher than his regular-season average of 12.8 boards. He’ll continue his strong rebounding and scoring in Game 5, finishing with at least 32 combined points and rebounds to cover this prop bet.
Best Bet: New York Knicks (+4.5)
Boston did not play more than back-to-back games without Tatum during the regular season, but the Celtics will have to string together at least 11 more games to win a second straight NBA title.
That seems unlikely without Tatum. At best, the Celtics could win tonight’s game to force a Game 6 in New York on Friday. Instead, bettors should count on the Knicks pulling out this victory on Boston’s home court, solidifying their spot in the Eastern Conference finals.
