Around the Association: Warriors Take Commanding Lead + Prop Bets for Monday Night

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Welcome back to another edition of Around the Association. The Conference Finals continued over the weekend. Here is all of the fantasy-relevant playoff information you need to know:

Weekend Recap

No Butler, No Problem

• Jimmy Butler left Saturday's Game 3 with a knee injury and was limited to just 19 minutes of action. Miami was still able to hold on to a 109-103 win on the road behind a monster outing from Bam Adebayo. The 6-foot-9 big man erupted for 31 points (15-22 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists, one block and four steals in 42 minutes. This was his first time this postseason topping the 25-point mark, but with Butler expected to return for Game 4, it would be a bit surprising to see Adebayo remain as aggressive on the offensive end.
  • Kyle Lowry (hamstring) returned to the court for Saturday's win, ending with 11 points (4-11 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 1-1 FT), one rebound, six assists four steals in 29 minutes. The veteran point guard has appeared in just six outings over the playoffs and is averaging only 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists thus far. 
  • P.J. Tucker: 17 points (5-10 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven rebounds, one assist, one block and three steals in 38 minutes. 
• Jaylen Brown had his best game of the playoffs in the loss. The California product was unstoppable with 40 points (14-20 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 9-12 FT), nine rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 42 minutes. Brown has enjoyed a very successful Eastern Conference Finals so far, averaging 29.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists over the first three outings of the series.
  • Jayson Tatum (neck) briefly departed with an injury in the second half but was able to return to action on a night that featured multiple "is he really injured or not?" moments for the Celtics. Regardless, the 24-year-old struggled mighty in the loss with just 10 points (3-14 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 3-4 FT), six rebounds and four assists in 41 minutes. Tatum is currently considered probable for Monday's contest.
  • Marcus Smart also left the game after clearly rolling his ankle, but he, too, returned to finish with 16 points (6-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-5 FT), four rebounds and seven assists over 37 minutes. However, Smart's injury appears to be more of a concern than Tatum's, with the Defensive Player of the Year currently questionable for Game 4.

Dubs Keep Soaring

• The Golden State Warriors were able to defeat the Mavericks 109-100 during Sunday's Game 3 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Stephen Curry did his thing with 31 points (10-20 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 6-6 FT), five rebounds and 11 assists in 39 minutes. The two-time MVP has averaged 28.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game over the one-sided Conference Finals thus far.
  •  Andrew Wiggins had one of the best dunks of the playoffs while also recording 27 points (11-20 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 11 rebounds and three assists over 40 minutes. The wing continues to be a very reliable piece for Golden State this postseason, totaling at least 15 points in eight out of the team's last 10 contests.
  • Klay Thompson: 19 points (6-18 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven rebounds and three assists over 39 minutes 
• Despite taking yet another loss, Luka Doncic was incredible with 40 points (11-23 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 14-17 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal over 40 minutes. This marked Doncic's second straight 40-point outing in defeat. The 23-year-old has averaged a remarkable 32.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game throughout the postseason.
  • Spencer Dinwiddie had a great bounce-back game after recording just four points in Game 2. The veteran point guard ended with 26 points (7-13 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 8-8 FT), two rebounds and one assist over 32 minutes. Despite Game 2's blunder, Dinwiddie has topped 15 points in four of his last five outings.
  • Jalen Brunson: 20 points (7-12 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds and three assists across 37 minutes. 
  • Reggie Bullock: 0-10 FG, 0-7 3Pt
  • Maxi Kleber: 0-5 FG, 0-5 3Pt

Heat-Celtics Game 4 Prop Bets

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Jimmy Butler over 25.5 points (-112)
  • Man, does this line confuse me. Butler is already expected to play Monday night which leads me to believe that there will be no minute restrictions on the star forward. This is also paired with the fact that Miami's second-most-dynamic scorer, Tyler Herro, has been ruled out with a groin injury.
  • Butler is in a prime position to continue his scoring dominance, so I see this line as a bit too low. Not including Friday's outing, which he exited early, Butler has averaged 31.4 points in his last seven performances. 
• Grant Williams over 9.5 points (-115)
  • The Tennessee product has now reached 10 or more points in three out of his last four showings. Williams has been more efficient at home during the postseason with a 12.9 point per game average in Boston. With Robert Williams' (knee) status still up in the air, I wouldn't be surprised to see another strong showing from the emerging forward.