Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat Prediction: Can Derrick White Make It Rain From Beyond the Arc in ECF Game 5?
Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals is tonight. Can Derrick White make it rain from beyond the arc? Ben Rajavuori breaks it down.
Ben Rajavuori - May 25, 2023, 4:32 PM EDT
5 minBoston Celtics vs. Miami Heat Prediction: Can Derrick White Make It Rain From Beyond the Arc in ECF Game 5?
Somehow, we arrive at Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight from Boston after the Celtics managed to escape Miami with a win on Tuesday. If you are not a Heat fan, you are cheering for the Celtics so that we do not have a long break until the finals. I would love to see game seven in this series, and with the Celtics showing some life in game four and being eight-point favorites in game five, it could be possible. If the Celtics are going to win tonight, this prop should cash, as it has in every game in this series so far.
Heat vs. Celtics Game 5 Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: May 25, 2023
- Game Time: 8:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: TNT
Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat Game 5 Prediction
The player I love to cash in for us is Derrick White. White had a good series against the Atlanta Hawks but then had a more stagnant series against the Sixers, which made sense since he didn't match up as well against the Philadelphia 76ers. In the Miami Heat series, he has been doing very well again, specifically from three. His perimeter offense, along with great defense, has earned him more and more playing time in this series. He has gone up in minutes in every game of the series and was even moved into the starting rotation in game three and stayed in the starting lineup in Game 4.
With White getting more minutes in the series, he has been extremely consistent against the Heat from three. After hitting 3+ threes in five of his first 13 postseason games this season, White has hit over 2.5 threes in every game of the series so far. In two of them, he did it with only five attempts. In Games 3 and 4, which he started, he had six and seven attempts from three.
White has been arguably the most consistent three-point shooter for the Celtics this postseason. He is shooting a team-best 45.3% from three for players attempting over 2.5 threes per game across the playoffs, and he is shooting 52.2% from three in the Heat series alone on 23 attempts overall. During the whole postseason, White is average 2.3 threes made per game, which is second on the team behind Jayson Tatum. With his minutes increasing every game, he should see around 30 minutes tonight and get up enough threes to cash in at least three.
The Celtics took an unreal 45 three-point attempts in Game 4 in the win, and it appears that will be the game plan for Game 5. Boston ranked second in the NBA in three-point attempts per game this season, and their high volume of threes can work against Miami if they can hit their shots, which they weren't the first three games.
In Game 1, Boston only shot 10-29 (34.5%) from three. In Game 2, Boston shot even worse, going 10-35 (28.6%) from three. In Game 3, Boston shot worse yet again, going 11-42 (26%) from three. Yet among all the bad three-point shooting, Derrick White still had 3+ threes in every game. He has been a constant for Boston behind the arc, and that should continue tonight. I'm on Derrick White over 2.5 threes at a great price with plus money.
Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat Game 5 Pick
2 Unit Pick: Derrick White O2.5 Threes +124 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
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