The Boston Celtics (19-5) are off to the best start of any defending champion since the 24-0 Golden State Warriors in 2015-16. They’ll have a good shot to be the NBA’s second team to hit the 20-win mark as they welcome the Detroit Pistons to TD Garden at 7:30 p.m. ET.
With power forward Jayson Tatum set to miss the game with a knee injury, the scoring onus for the Celtics will fall on small forward Jaylen Brown. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP has struggled with his jumper at times this season but is still putting up 25.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and a career-high 4.6 assists per game.
Even without Tatum, the Celtics are 11.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the point total set at 226. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bet centered around Brown.
Best Jaylen Brown Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Jaylen Brown O26.5 Points (-110)
The Pistons have actually been a pretty solid defensive unit this year, ranking 15th with a 113.4 defensive rating, a huge improvement from 2023-24, where they finished 25th. In large part, Detroit’s growth has to do with the individual defensive leaps taken by members of the team’s young core, such as point guard Cade Cunningham and center Jalen Duren.
The Pistons have no major glaring defensive holes, so this is more about Tatum’s injury than any particular matchup. Tatum’s 29.9% usage percentage ranks 19th in the NBA and his 20.2 shot attempts per game have to go somewhere. In the one game this year that Tatum missed, a 130-120 win over Detroit on December 4, Brown put up his second-best game of the season, scoring 28 points and adding six rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.
Jaylen Brown U5.5 Rebounds (-115)
For all of their mediocrity, the Pistons have excelled this season at patrolling the boards. They allow opponents to snag just 41.9 rebounds per game, the sixth-lowest rate in basketball, and their 51.7% rebounding percentage ranks fifth. Brown, at six-foot-six, is a pretty good rebounder for his size, but his 9.2% rebound percentage this season is slightly below his career average. He has recorded five or fewer rebounds in five of his last nine games, and an increased emphasis on scoring might limit his rebounding potential tonight.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
