Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Best Bet: Will Jaylen Brown Step Up for the Celtics in Game 6?
It's Game 6 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. Will Jaylen Brown Step Up for the Celtics tonight? Ben Rajavuori answers.
Ben Rajavuori - May 11, 2023, 4:46 PM EDT
5 minPhiladelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Best Bet: Will Jaylen Brown Step Up for the Celtics in Game 6?
The Boston Celtics were a few tenths of a second away from taking a 3-1 lead in the series in game four when Marcus Smart missed getting his game-winning three off in time, and now the Celtics find themselves down 2-3 in the series facing elimination on the road in Game 6.
The Celtics had a poor shooting performance in Game 5, shooting 39% from the floor, but they also got out-rebounded 36-49. Jayson Tatum has been off the last few games, shooting 45% in game four and 40% in Game 5, which sounds critical, but he shot 56% in game one and 50% in game three. As a result, the Celtics are facing what could be the last game of their season tonight. With a must-win scenario on the road, who will step up for the Celtics?
76ers vs. Celtics Game 6 Start Time and Where to Watch
Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023
Start Time: 7:30 pm ET
Where to Watch: ESPN
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Game 6 Prediction
I expect this to be a Jaylen Brown game tonight. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been the focal point of the Celtics' offense in the postseason, to no one's surprise, as Tatum leads the team with 26.9 points per game in the postseason, and Brown is not far behind with 25.3. The next leading scorer is Marcus Smart, with 16.1 points per game. What surprised me to see is that even though Brown is the second leading scorer in the postseason and is averaging 25.3 points per game in the playoffs, he has yet to pass his points prop in even one game in this series. His points prop has looked like this so far in the conference semifinals:
Game 1 - Line: 24.5, Result: 23
Game 2 - Line: 25.5, Result: 25
Game 3 - Line: 24.5, Result: 23
Game 4 - Line: 23.5, Result: 23
Game 5 - Line: 25.5, Result: 24
He has yet to miss his prop by more than two points, and he has hooked the line twice. He has floated just under this number, despite shooting well. Jaylen Brown is shooting 57.1% from the floor in this series and 42.9% from behind the arc. Given Brown's heavy usage and high shooting marks, I am shocked he has not passed his points line even once. Given the situation in an elimination game, Brown should see 40+ minutes in this game, as he did in Games 1 and 4.
Brown has the highest field goal percentage on the team in the postseason for all players averaging over four shot attempts per game, and he has the highest three-point field goal percentage on the team by far in the postseason at 47.5%. Brown only shot six threes in Game 5, and I expect him to come out firing in Game 6 on the road from deep.
In Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks, the 26-year-old had 32 points on 13-25 shooting while going 6-8 from three. The situation was a bit different, as that was a close-out game for the Celtics, but the situation still calls for heavy usage from who has been the best shooter for the Celtics in the playoffs this season. Brown will finally hit his points prop for the first time in the series tonight after flirting just under the line over the first five games. Plus, we are getting a good line with no juice since money is coming in on the under.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Game 6 Pick
Pick: Jaylen Brown O25.5 Points +100 is currently the best odds. Click here to find out which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
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