The Eastern Conference playoff race gets more and more interesting with each passing game. The Boston Celtics remain second in the standings and are pretty secure in their postseason positioning. The Miami Heat can’t say the same after slipping all the way to ninth in the playoff picture, leaving them firmly in the mix for a Play-In Tournament appearance in what’s become something of a yearly tradition.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Boston enters as a 4.5-point favorite on the road with -198 odds to win on the Moneyline. The game total is set at 230.5 combined points.
Here are the top Celtics vs. Heat prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for this Wednesday night matchup.
Best Celtics vs. Heat player prop bets
Jayson Tatum 9+ rebounds (-115)
The Celtics returned superstar Jayson Tatum to the lineup a few weeks back and it almost seems like he hasn’t skipped a beat. While his minutes are down compared to in years past with just 31 a night, he’s producing 20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game with his opportunities. The most interesting part of that stat line is the production on the glass, with 9.1 boards a night marking a new career high for the multi-time All-NBA honoree.
Yes, the sample size is incredibly small at just 11 total games played this season, but it’s tough to ignore the way Tatum is attacking the glass. He’s become a more confident rebounder seemingly with each passing year and averages 8.7 boards a night last season, so he’s no stranger to using his 6-foot-8 build to his advantage. It is somewhat surprising to see him do this coming off his torn Achilles, though. He’s pulled down at least nine rebounds in seven of his 11 appearances so far with double-digit boards in six of those — including three of his last four.
Pelle Larsson 12+ points (-122)
There’s something to be said about the Heat’s ability to churn out productive role players. At this point, it seems like Miami is a freaking factory for these guys. The latest model is Pelle Larsson, the Swedish guard who’s playing a key role for the team this year.
Larsson is enjoying the best season of his short two-year pro career with averages of 11.2 points, 3.5 boards and 3.3 assists per game. He’s shooting only 32.2% from deep but has hit 49.7% of his shots from the field as whole, and his recent stretch of play should make bettors feel good about this prop bet tonight. Larsson has very quietly recorded double-digit points in nine of his last 10 appearances, going for 12 or more in seven of those dating back to March 12. The Swede averages 15.3 PPG over this 10-game sample, finishing at an incredible 62.5% clip from two. Given this recent run of form, I really like him to produce 12 or more points again tonight.
The concern for this one is that Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Andrew Wiggins each returned from injury a few games ago, lessening the available shot volume for other members of the Heat. Beyond that, Boston’s defense is one of the strongest in the NBA. However, Miami sits near the top of the league in pace and the Celtics bomb away from deep with the third-most 3PA and 3PM per game. Given those conditions, a higher-scoring outcome lies within the range of outcomes. Larsson is hot right now anyways, so I still like this pick.
