Malcolm Brogdon (right forearm soreness) of the Boston Celtics is downgraded to questionable for Game 6 on Saturday night against the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.
Brogdon, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, was playing through a partially torn tendon in his right arm that he sustained during the first game. The former Indiana Pacer finished with 19 points and two rebounds.
According to a few NBA betting sites, the Celtics have the second shortest odds of winning the championship. Check out sports bets that offer better odds for the Denver Nuggets.
#NEBHInjuryReport For Game 6 against Miami:
Malcolm Brogdon (right forearm strain) – Q
Danilo Gallinari (anterior cruciate ligament repair left knee) – OUT– Boston Celtics (celtics) May 26, 2023
“He plays through it, he gives us everything he’s got, and we kind of go through it that way, how he plays and how he runs it,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzola said before Game 5 of the Brogdon stand. “He’s struggling, and he’s grateful for that.”
If Malcolm Brogdon is unable to start Game 6, Derek White and Marcus Smart will have to turn the lights on at Kaseya center, along with Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics are 4-0 in elimination games this postseason for the first time since winning five straight in 1981-82.
Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon (right forearm pain) is downgraded to questionable in Game 6 against the Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals
Heading into ECF Game 6, the point total has gone in 11 of Boston’s last 16 games. The Celtics are 2-5 in the past seven games against Miami, too. Additionally, the Celtics are 7-1 in their previous eight games played on Saturday.
With 18 games off the bench, post-season Malcolm Brogdon averaged 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 25.9 minutes per game. The seven-year-old veteran also shoots 42.5% from the field and 38.8% from outside the arc. Boston’s second unit may have to play without Brogdon, and the Heat still misses Tyler Hero (hand).
“He’s doing the best he can with it,” Mazzola said Friday afternoon in an update to Brogdon. “It’s a daily situation.”
East Finals continues.
Celtics / Heat 6.#PhantomCamSaturday, 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT pic.twitter.com/nKrDksOShC
– The NBA May 26, 2023
Moreover, Boston is 5-1 in its past six road games played on Saturday. The total has gone in 11 of the Celtics’ last 14 road games. However, the total had fallen in five of the previous six road games against Miami.
According to ESPN’s Basketball Strength Index, the Celtics have a 71.2% probability of tying the series in Miami. The sports books show Boston as the 3-point favorite over the Heat for Game 6. If Malcolm Brogdon is able to play it will help take the pressure off White.