Tonight, there are a pair of Game 5s on the schedule, with the Celtics hosting the Cavaliers and the Thunder hosting the Mavericks.
After a sweep on Monday, three NBA player props I have my eye on tonight include Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving.
Jrue Holiday Over 10.5 Rebounds + Assists (-102)
This season, Holiday is averaging a career-high 5.4 rebounds per game. That's continued into the playoffs, as he's averaging 5.2 through nine postseason games. He's pulled down six rebounds in six of those nine games, including three of the first four games in this series.
While Holiday doesn't have the ball in his hands as often as he's used to (since he's playing with Tatum and Jaylen Brown), he's had at least five assists in five of his nine postseason games. In seven of those playoff games, he's had nine potential assists or more.
With the teammates he's had at his disposal, there's certainly a high probability of those potential assists being converted.
As a result, Holiday has hit this line in four of his last six games. He's had 13 and 12 rebounds and assists combined in the past two games, both of which he covered or came close to covering in the first half.
A third straight game would be great tonight, considering that the Celtics are 15-point favorites.
Holiday may be over this line by the start of the fourth quarter, just in case Boston runs away with a win.
Pick: Jrue Holiday Over 10.5 Rebounds + Assists (-102)
Jayson Tatum Under 2.5 Made 3s (+106)
By his standards, Tatum got off to a slow start this postseason. He went under his points line in six of his first seven playoff games and is still averaging just 24.2 points.
Tatum has started to come alive, though, as he's scored 33 points in each of last two games.
However, that hasn't extended to the long ball.
Jayson Tatum has made two 3s in the first half in each of the last two games, yet he didn't make a third triple in either game. In fact, Tatum has went under this line in all nine postseason games.
Now, this could be a sweaty bet, as he's made two 3s in seven of those games. However, Tatum is only attempting 6.3 3s per game in the playoffs and is making 27% of them. That's down from 8.2 attempts per game in the regular season when he shot 37.6% from deep.
Additionally, this is where the blowout could benefit us tonight. In Game 5 against Miami, the Celtics closed out a series with a 34-point win. The Heat were without Jimmy Butler, as they were the entire series. The Cavaliers have been without Jarrett Allen all series and likely will be again, but they may also be without Donovan Mitchell.
If the Celtics, the kings of 20-point victories, run away with another one to wrap up this series, Tatum won't see the floor much in the fourth quarter.
That means if he makes two 3s early again, he may not have the opportunity to knock down a third one in the fourth quarter.
Pick: Jayson Tatum Under 2.5 Made 3s (+106)
Kyrie Irving More Than 6 Assists
Irving dazzled with his scoring in the first round against the Clippers. However, he's been a more of a facilitator against the Thunder.
After three assists in Game 1, Irving has reached this projection in each of the past three games. In two of them, he soared over it with 11 assists and then nine assists on Monday.
It's helped that the Thunder have trapped him at times to get the ball out of his hands.
They've been letting P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr. and Daniel Gafford beat them as long as it's not Irving and Luka Doncic. Irving has been a willing facilitator, as he averaged 16.3 potential assists over his last three games.
Tonight, we only need six assists for him to reach this projection. That'll cover a possible regression if he picks up his scoring, which Dallas will need tonight as well.
However, even if he does score more tonight, his MO all postseason has been to do so in the second half.
By then, he'll be on his way to reaching this projection.
