Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers Prediction: Can Jayson Tatum, Malcolm Brogdon Show Out In Game 2?

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers Prediction: Can Jayson Tatum, Malcolm Brogdon Show Out In Game 2?

After losing Game 1 to the Joel Embid-less 76ers, the Celtics will absolutely need a bounce-back win tonight. Check out which two players I’m expecting to step up the most. 

Celtics vs. 76ers Game 2 Start Time and Where to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, May 2, 2023
• Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
• Where to Watch: TNT

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 Prediction

Jayson Tatum has been one of the best non-center rebounders in the NBA this season, averaging 8.8. Tatum is asked to do a lot on the offensive side of the ball, resulting in him normally being tasked with guarding low-usage offensive players, who are often sitting on the three-point line. He can sag off of these defensive assignments and grab easy rebounds to get the Celtics going in transition.

We often see Tatum find himself in great rebounding positions, with either Horford or Williams boxing out the opposing center. This rebounding success translated in the regular season, where Tatum averaged 9.8 rebounds in his four matchups against the Celtics during the regular season. 

All signs also indicate that Joel Embiid will be suiting up tonight, possibly in a more limited role though. That's good for two reasons, the first being that it mirrors his regular season matchups where he had success. The more important reason is that Embiid will likely not be at 100%, and I have a strong suspicion that we’re going to see him give some more effort on the offensive side of the ball than the rebounding in the department. Tatum should be one of the beneficiaries of this, considering the Celtics will need to come out very aggressive in this one. 

Tatum has had a great rebounding performance in the postseason, averaging 10.1 on 40.0 minutes per game. He recorded 11 rebounds in 44 minutes in Game 1 of this series and has 8+ rebounds in 6/7 games and 10+ rebounds in five of seven games. He’s currently playing an insane amount of minutes and will likely play 42+ minutes tonight, considering the Celtics are in must-win mode.

Tatum should constantly be in good rebounding positions, and I expect him to crash the boards aggressively in tonight's matchup. I also ended up sprinkling on 10+ rebounds/1+ block at +265 on DraftKings. He recorded 1+ block in Game 1 and 4/6 last series. 

Malcolm Brogdon has been extremely dependable this postseason, and I expect that to continue tonight. He averaged 14.9 points during the regular season and 14.5 in 4 matchups against the 76ers this year. So far this postseason, he’s averaging 14.3, but I expect that to increase after this series. In Game 1, he posted 24 points in 34 minutes, which is his largest workload of the series.

I think they needed Derrick White’s defense a little more last series, while I think they will need Brogdon's scoring, secondary playmaking, and veteran leadership in this series. After only scoring five points in his first game against the Hawks, he’s now scored 13+ points in six straight playoff games. He took 16 FGA last game, and if he continues to go above the 30-minute mark, he will continue to get high-quality looks playing with either Tatum or Brown. 

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 Prop Picks

• Jayson Tatum 8+ Rebounds/Malcolm Brogdon 11+ Points -120 is currently the best odds. Click here to find out which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
• Jayson Tatum o9.5 Rebounds +110 is currently the best odds. Click here to find out which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick

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