BOSTON -- It's an old cliché at this point, but you'd be hard pressed to argue the fact that NBA role players often find themselves at the forefront of home playoff games.
That much is on display in the majority of NBA playoff contests, whether it be in a positive or negative manner.
In recent seasons, the Celtics have gotten a first-hand look at that fact through Grant Williams. There are few Boston-based fans who could forget his epic performance in Game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, where he scored 27 points on 7-for-18 shooting from beyond the arc. He also was at the forefront of a loss in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, "poking the bear" that is Jimmy Butler before a horrendous fourth-quarter effort put the Celtics in an 0-2 hole.
In his very next game back at TD Garden, bettors expect the Celtics veteran to redeem himself.
Williams is at the forefront of some of the most popular prop bets ahead of Game 5 against the Heat, as BetMGM Sportsbook data analyst John Ewing pointed out that he is by far the most popular player in terms of tickets.
The 24-year-old is the subject of the two most popular prop bets at BetMGM, with many expecting him to surpass 6.5 points (-160 odds) and make more than 1.5 3-point attempts (+135).
If Williams does put together a positive scoring night, much like he did in Game 4 when he scored 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting from long range, then the Celtics will likely feel solid about their chances of pushing the conference finals to Game 6 in Miami.
