Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off on Friday night in Boston as the Celtics look to close it out against the Miami Heat and make their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 2010. Over the past few games this series has been a defensive juggernaut and points have been hard to come by.
We’ll be using the Action Labs Player Prop tool to compare our NBA projections to the props posted at a variety of sportsbooks. Below, I have laid out two prop bets that I’m playing, the case for each bet and the best books to find odds on those player props.
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NBA Player Props & Picks
Al Horford, Over 1.5 Blocks (+115)
| Heat vs. Celtics | Celtics -8.5 |
| Time | TV | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Best Book | DraftKings |
Over the past few games, we are seeing what we expected in this series — tough, hard-nose defense and low-scoring games. The Boston Celtics rank second in defensive efficiency amongst playoff teams. Additionally, the Celtics have the fifth best defense inside the paint amongst playoff teams. Al Horford has excelled on the defensive end for the Celtics.
Horford has played in four games in the Eastern Conference Finals and has recorded at least two blocks in three out of those four games. Further, he is averaging 2.5 blocks per game against the Miami Heat in this series. Horford’s minutes have been consistent as well throughout the playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals.
There is always some concern that Robert Williams can take away from Horford’s production. However, Horford has been playing a consistent 37 minutes per game for the Celtics while Williams is averaging 23.5 minutes.
Jaylen Brown, Over 6.5 Rebounds (+105)
| Best Book | Caesars |
As I mentioned above, this series has turned into a hard-fought, defensive-minded series. The defenses are making things difficult for shooters and missed shots are creating plenty of rebounding opportunities. In fact, over the past two games, there have been 95 and 99 rebounds between the two teams.
Jaylen Brown has been a consistent rebounder throughout the postseason for the Boston Celtics. In the Eastern Conference, Brown has seven or more rebounds in four out of the five games. In the postseason, Brown is averaging close to seven rebounds per game. Since the start of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Brown has gone over this projection in eight out of the past 12 games.