On Saturday, the Celtics and Mavericks took a 2-1 lead in their respective series' with Game 3 victories.
The star duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 61 points in the Celtics' victory. We cashed in on Jaylen Brown in Game 1, and I'll be going back to him tonight.
Meanwhile, Darius Garland will look to help the Cavaliers even up the series at two before going back to Boston.
In Dallas, I'll be backing the center position. This time, it's Daniel Gafford as the Mavericks go for a 3-1 lead.
Here's NBA player props today.
Jaylen Brown Over 31.5 Points + Rebounds (-120)
Celtics vs. Cavs | 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Brown has totaled 32 points and rebounds in two of the first three games in this series. His scoring led the way in Games 1 and 3 when he went for 32 and 28 points, respectively. Brown is averaging 24.1 points this postseason and has four games of 25 points or more thus far.
He's also been a factor on the glass, as he's pulled down four rebounds in all eight of his playoff games. He's had at least six rebounds in six of those games. That includes three consecutive games with eight rebounds against Miami and a playoff-high nine rebounds on Saturday night against Cleveland.
Without Kristaps Porzingis, Brown and Tatum have stepped up on the glass. Scoring has also been the least of their worries to quote Tatum.
Well, it's certainly been true for Brown, who's had his way offensively in this series as expected. In the two games that he hit this line in this series, he's had 38 and 37 points and rebounds combined.
Tonight, 32 from him will cash this combo.
Pick: Jaylen Brown Over 31.5 Points + Rebounds (-120)
Darius Garland Over 8.5 Rebounds + Assists (-130)
Celtics vs. Cavs | 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Garland is a player that I typically look to back for assists, given that he's a high-level passer and has a lot of talent around him.
The leader of that group is Donovan Mitchell, who's scored 30 points in four of his past five games. Evan Mobley has scored at least 17 points in all three games in this series as well. Several of his baskets were set up by Garland after he got into the lane.
Garland and his teammates certainly hope that he'll be able to set up Jarrett Allen tonight as well. Allen has missed the first three games of this series, but if he's out again, that will also help Garland grab a few more rebounds.
Despite often being the shortest starter on the floor, Garland has recorded at least three rebounds in all 10 of his playoff games. He's averaging four rebounds per game in the playoffs, up from 2.7 in the regular season.
Garland had seven rebounds in Game 2, which matched his high for this postseason. This matchup helps, as the Celtics shoot a ton of 3s and long rebounds off those misses are easier to track down for a guard like Garland.
As a result, Garland has hit this line in two of his first three games in this series and 7-of-10 overall this postseason. He's had 10 rebounds and assists in four of those games, but we'll take nine tonight.
Pick: Darius Garland Over 8.5 Rebounds + Assists (-130)
Daniel Gafford More Than 9.5 Points
Thunder vs. Mavericks | 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
A Mavericks center has cracked double figures in the first three games of this series. In Games 1 and 2, that center was Daniel Gafford when he scored 16 and 13 points, respectively, to easily surpass this projection.
Gafford scored eight points in Game 3, but rookie Dereck Lively II stepped up with 12 points in his stead.
Combined, Gafford and Lively are giving the Mavericks 17.6 points per game in this series, with over 12 of them coming from Gafford.
In Game 3, Gafford played just 19 minutes. He left the game a few times, but he was still only short of 10 points by one basket. He's not listed on the injury report tonight and also got a few more hours to rest with Saturday's game being an afternoon tip.
Prior to Saturday's game, Gafford had scored 13 points or more in four consecutive games against Oklahoma City.
In this series, Dallas is only getting 40 points per game from stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Doncic is playing through injuries while Irving has been a slow starter, so the onus has been on others to step up like Gafford, Lively and P.J. Washington.
Personally, I trust Gafford to get 10 points and take advantage of his matchup against Oklahoma City's interior defense.
