NBA Player Props, Breakdown, Odds, and Picks (May 25)

• The Heat vs Celtics Eastern Conference Finals return to Boston this evening.
• Jayson Tatum’s been Boston’s standout player in the 2023 postseason.
• Tatum set to put on another great performance, both offensively and defensively.

The Eastern Conference Finals are coming back to TD Garden. The Boston Celtics lost both of the games played on their turf, but now, oddsmakers expect them to win. Playing home is the main reason why they’re favored to win tonight, but there are a few more factors coming into play.

One of those is that Boston’s best player Jayson Tatum has switched to top gear. In the previous game of the Heat vs Celtics series, “Taco Jay” recorded 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Can he do the same tonight?

Heat vs Celtics

• When: Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 8:30 p.m ET
• Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
• Channel: TNT

Odds

Prop Pick

Jayson Tatum’s been, by far, the best Boston player in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the four games of the series with Miami, he scored a total of 111 points or 27.75 points per game on average. In only one of those (Game 3), Tatum scored under 30, but it was because he played only 33:27 minutes on the court.

In the previous game of the Heat vs Celtics series, Tatum played 42:06 minutes and was nothing short of brilliant. His team needed him to show up and he did. In Game 5, they need him to do at least as equally well.

Our in-house NBA expert believes Miami’s players have what it takes to stop the Celtics at TD Garden. If they’re going to pull it off, they need to deal with Tatum somehow. We’re sure they’re going to pay special attention to him this evening, but we’re not so sure they’ll succeed.

READ ALSO: Heat vs Celtics Odds, and Picks (Game 5)

Sure, the Heat might prevent him from recording over 30 points, but scoring isn’t his only job. Tatum is also brilliant defensively, making 10.5 rebounds per game since the start of the playoffs. We’re almost 100% certain he’s going to record 10+ this evening as well.