Best NBA Playoffs Player Props to Consider for May 19 (Archive)
The Boston Celtics look to bounce back in Game 2 against the Miami Heat this Thursday evening. Here are a few NBA prop picks from Bovada (visit our Bovada Review), that should bring you the best value for each pick.
Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat
Thursday, May 19, 2022 – 08:30 PM EDT at FTX Arena
The Heat are a 3.5-point favorite after winning Game 1 by a final of 118-107. Can we expect a more efficient Boston offense this time with the expected return of guard Marcus Smart?
Marcus Smart Prop Analysis
Smart was a surprise scratch in Game 1 with a foot injury, but he is expected to return for Game 2. The Defensive Player of the Year has already missed one playoff game this season, which was Game 2 against Milwaukee in the semifinals.
In his return four days later, he scored a playoff-low nine points and only had two assists and two rebounds. It was his worst statistical game of the postseason.
But if Smart is good enough to play, then we should expect him to start and play a normal number of minutes in this game. Rather than rely on him to notch a fair number of assists, points, or threes, let’s look at the rebounding matchup. The Celtics are still likely going to be without Al Horford, one of their best rebounders. In Game 1 without Smart and Horford, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had to step up with 18 of the team’s 38 rebounds coming between them, a high ratio for those two.
Derrick White, who started at point guard for Smart, did not even register a rebound in 29 minutes of action. But Smart is someone who welcomes contact in the paint. Smart had four or five rebounds in two of his three matchups with the Heat in the regular season.
Game 1 saw neither team get to 40 rebounds, which has only happened four other times for the Celtics this season. There should be more rebound opportunities in this game, and Smart’s line of 3.5 looks like a good value pick for an over.
NBA Pick: Marcus Smart Over 3.5 Rebounds (+122) at Bovada
P.J. Tucker Prop Analysis
P.J. Tucker has faced the Celtics three times this season and has a total of 10 points scored in those games. He’s not a big scorer period, but the veteran does have six playoff games with at least 10 points this year. But when Tucker plays the Boston defense, he is a passive player. He only attempted five shots in Game 1, and he also missed two free throws.
But one area where Tucker has been reliable against the Celtics is with assists. In three meetings against Boston this season, Tucker has had three assists every time. His line in this game is only 1.5 assists, so taking the over looks like a good NBA pick as he has been passing the ball as much as anyone on the Heat in the last week of games.
He even had a seven-assist game against the 76ers in the last round, though just two assists will work here in Game 2 to hit the over.
NBA Pick: P.J. Tucker Over 1.5 Assists (-136) at Bovada
Jimmy Butler Prop Analysis
Jimmy Butler continues to be phenomenal for Miami this postseason. He scored 41 points in Game 1, giving him a 40-point game in all three rounds of the playoffs this year. Butler was 17-of-18 from the free-throw line in Game 1 as he continued to attack the basket.
But Game 1 was the first game this postseason where Butler failed to make a three-point shot. He was 0-for-2, ending a three-game streak with at least two made threes. The last three times in the regular season when Butler failed to make a three, he came back the next game and made multiple threes.
This is another good opportunity to count on Butler to bounce back as the Celtics should be looking to make him shoot farther away from the basket this time. So, if you don’t want to count on Butler to score a ton of points again, you could find value in counting on him to hit a couple of threes in this matchup.
NBA Pick: Jimmy Butler Over 1.5 Three-Point Field Goals Made (+131) at Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.