Well, well, well…We finally have a Game 5 in the Conference Finals! The Boston Celtics avoided the sweep on Tuesday with an emphatic 116-99 victory. Can they rally the troops once again to force a Game 6?
The oddsmakers seem to think so! Boston is currently an 8-point favorite over Miami for Game 5. The total is sitting at 215 points.
Ready for some action on tonight’s Heat at Celtics matchup? Here are 3 PrizePicks NBA Props for Thursday, May 25. Let’s ride!
Al Horford OVER 6 Rebounds
We’ve made a pretty penny fading Horford in the points department during this series. However, the veteran big man has still rebounded the ball quite well during the playoffs. Horford has gone over this total number of boards in 9 of 15 playoff games. (There were also 2 pushes)
The matchup should also be in Horford’s favor. Boston ranks 11th in the league in rebounding, while Miami only ranks 25th. With that big of a discrepancy, we think Horford should be able to have a big night at home on the glass.
FanDuel and Unibet are also pricing this prop at 6.5, although the juice is at plus-money on the Over. Other sportsbooks are dealing 5.5 with the Over juiced in the -140 to -150 range. We’ll roll with the Over!
Kevin Love OVER 4.5 Rebounds
Wow! It must be Grandparents Day with Al Horford and Kevin Love in the same article! Love’s minutes have been reduced, but he’s still gone over this number in 9 of his last 12 ball games.
Throughout the playoffs, Love is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. While the rebounding matchup against Boston isn’t ideal, we’re still expecting an increase in minutes for the savvy veteran. More minutes should translate into 5 or more rebounds for Love.
We’re actually bucking our trend and going against the books on this one. Most shops are favoring the Under on this play, but we simply cannot ignore an Over trend that’s hitting 75% over the last 12 games.
Bam Adebayo UNDER 17.5 Points
We love Bam, but the Celtics have done a good job of limiting his production in the last 2 ball games. Boston held Adebayo to just 10 points in Game 4 and just 13 points in Game 3. With Boston being back home and once again facing elimination, look for a supreme defensive effort from the Cs.
We love that Boston ranks 6th in the league in paint points allowed. Miami, on the other hand, only ranks 26th in paint points scored. Look for Adebayo to kick the ball out to Jimmy Butler and Max Strus pretty frequently in this game.
Most books are split on this prop. DraftKings and BetMGM are dealing -115 on both the Over and the Under. Even without market support, we think the Under is the play here!
