Best Player Prop Bets on January 6th
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Wednesday will be a massive showdown in the East when the Boston Celtics travel to South Beach to take on last year’s NBA finalists, the Miami Heat. These two teams put together a very exciting Conference Finals in the 2020 playoffs, with Erik Spoelstra’s team coming out on top in six games.
The C’s are led by the young duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who have solidified themselves as the franchise pieces in Boston. They’re still without Kemba Walker due to a knee issue, but his presence is certainly felt when healthy.
For the Heat, Jimmy Buckets and Bam Adebayo typically lead the way. Butler did miss time already this season with a small injury, but he’s now back and making impactful plays on both ends of the floor. As for Adebayo, he currently leads Miami in points, rebounds, and steals. We also can’t forget Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic, who are also putting up impressive numbers through the first handful of games.
Here are the player props for Wednesday’s meeting, where Miami head in as 2.5-point favorites.
Celtics vs Heat Player Props
Odds taken Jan 5 at FanDuel
Brown Shows Out
Although it’s by a small margin, Jaylen Brown is leading Boston in scoring this season with 26.9 points per night. The 24-year old is currently averaging a substantial amount of points more than last season. Yes, it’s still early in the year, but Brown has looked fantastic in all aspects offensively.
He’s shooting a swift 43 percent from downtown and 58 percent from the field through eight games. In the season opener, the C’s guard drained 33 en route to a huge win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Then just two days later, Brown took it right to Kevin Durant and the Nets, collecting another 27 points. Then he did this against Memphis a week ago:
The combination of him and Tatum is electric in itself. However, he is showing serious growth already in his fifth NBA campaign. Brown has also proved that he rises to the occasion against the stiffest of competition. Although Miami has struggled at times this season, they’re still a legitimate force in their own end of the court. They rank 7th in the association with a 106.1 defensive rating.
But, don’t expect that to stop Brown. Betting on the over here is a safe bet because what you’re seeing from the Boston youngster is going to become the norm this year, regardless of who the opponent is.
Pick: Over 22.5 points (-102)
Herro Finally Finds His Groove From Downtown
Tyler Herro is known for his ability to drain threes. This is one of the biggest reasons he emerged as a key piece of this Heat squad last season and in particular, in the playoffs.
However, the former Kentucky standout hasn’t enjoyed that same success in 2020-21. Herro is shooting a dismal 31 percent from long range on 5.3 three-pointers per contest. He is starting on a full-time basis though and putting up respectable numbers, averaging 14.3 points thus far.
Herro has improved other areas of his game such as playmaking and defense, but in order to be the full package like he’s shown at times, the 20-year old needs to find his stroke from downtown. After all, Herro did set an NBA rookie record last postseason with 44 threes. There’s just simply no way he can continue to stay cold like this in such familiar territory.
If this was a year ago, the over and under would be a lot higher than just 2.5. But because of his struggles, sportsbooks aren’t yet believing in his ability to sink shots from deep. I don’t think Herro will fully break out of this slump yet, but Wednesday will be a step in the right direction.
Betting on the over here is safe, especially considering Herro plays over 30 minutes per night.
Pick: Over 2.5 made three-pointers (+150)
