Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Preview
The Celtics and Heat will tip off game two of this Eastern Conference first-round series at 7:00 PM ET at TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics are favored by 14.5 points and are up 1-0 in the series. The over/under line is sitting at 202.5, and the Celtics are -1277 on the money line. The Heat are at +750 on the money line. TNT is carrying this matchup on TV.
Check out BetCoco for Boston Celtics – Miami Heat odds
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Head-to-Head and Key Stats
In the last three games between Miami and Boston, the Celtics have dominated the series, going 3-0. This includes a convincing margin of victory of 19 points per contest. Across the last three head-to-head matchups, Boston is averaging 122 points compared to Miami at 103.
- Miami has a 2-3 record in their last five road games. In this stretch, they averaged 109 points per game while allowing 110. The team also performed well vs the spread at 4-1.
- Through their last five home contests, the Celtics offense has averaged 110 points per game while allowing an average of 108. Boston posted an overall record of 2-3 while going 1-4 ATS.
- The last three games that Miami was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 0-3 straight up.
- The Celtics have played well in their last five games as the betting favorite, going 4-1 straight up and 3-1-1 against the spread.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Prediction
The most recent game of this Heat vs. Celtics series went in favor of Boston, as they won by a score of 114-94. The Celtics were favored by 14.5 points going into the game and easily covered the spread. Boston jumped out to a 26-21 lead after the 1st, and then outscored the Heat 31-14 in the 3rd. The game fell 2.5 points short of the over/under line of 210.5 points.
Jayson Tatum recorded a triple-double for the Celtics with 23 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. Derrick White also had a good game for Boston, scoring 20 points and hitting 4 threes. On the other side, Bam Adebayo scored 24 points for the Heat. Miami hit just 12 threes on 32.4% shooting from beyond the arc.
Miami’s O/U record for the season is 36-49, and the team has hit the under in two straight games. On average, their games have finished with 218.1 points, and today’s line is set at 202.5.
The Heat’s ATS record for the season is 42-40, and they are 25-15 ATS on the road compared to 17-25 at home. As the underdog, Miami is 18-18 ATS on the road and 11-25 straight-up.
In their last game vs. the Celtics, the Heat lost by a score of 114-94. They were 14.5-point underdogs in that game, and the O/U line was 210.5.
Miami is currently 8th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 46-36. Against other Eastern Conference teams, they are 32-20 and 13-3 in their division.
On average, the Heat have gone 2.4 points per game at home and 1.0 points per game on the road. Their straight-up road record is 24-19. In the ATS standings, they have covered the spread in three straight games.
Miami comes into the game as one of the worst scoring teams in the league, averaging 110.1 points per game. They have been even worse on the road, at 107.7 points per contest. Looking at their pace, the Heat are 29th in the league, averaging 95.8 possessions per game.
The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier for tonight’s game. Butler is averaging 20.8 points per game, and Rozier is averaging 19.8. Rozier is shooting 36.3% from three this season, while Butler is at 41.4%. Over his last five games, Tyler Herro is averaging 18.8 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Bam Adebayo is averaging a double-double for the season, with 19.3 points and 10.4 rebounds.
When it comes to defense, the Miami Heat have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season, ranking 4th in points allowed per game at 108.2. On the road, they have been even better, giving up just 106.7 points per contest, which is tops in the league.
Overall, opponents have been held under their season average in 79.3% of games vs. the Heat, and have made fewer threes than their season average 51.2% of the time.
One area where the Heat have struggled defensively this season is in the paint, ranking just 30th in blocked shots per game. However, they have done a good job of keeping opponents off the free-throw line, ranking 3rd in made free-throws allowed per game.
The Celtics are looking to sweep their home-and-home series against the Heat after winning their last game 114-94. The Celtics were 14.5-point favorites in that game, and they have now won three straight games as the favorite.
Boston is the heavy favorite today (-14.5), and they have been favored in 79 of their 82 games this season. As the favorite, the Celtics have a scoring margin of +12.2 points per game.
In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are in first place with a record of 64-18. Against other Eastern Conference teams, they are 41-11 and 23-7 against the West. Boston has an ATS record of 42-37 this season and are 23-17 ATS at home.
This season, the Celtics have an O/U record of 43-39-1, and their games have averaged 229.5 points per game. Today’s O/U line is set at 202.5, and all of their games have had higher over/under lines than that.
For the season, the Celtics are 2nd in the league in scoring at 120.6 points per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 122.9 points per contest. Boston’s offense has been able to get up a lot of shots from beyond the arc, as they are averaging an NBA-best 42.5 three-point attempts per game. Their three-point shooting percentage of 48% is the 6th best mark in the league.
Payton Pritchard has been playing well for the Celtics of late, averaging 19.8 points per game in his last five games. This has come while hitting 56.9% of his shots from the field. Jayson Tatum is averaging 21 points per game in his last three games, but he has hit just 25% of his threes in that stretch. Looking at Boston’s three-point shooting, they have gotten some good production from Hauser of late, as he has hit 3.4 threes per game in his last five games.
When it comes to defending the three-point line, the Celtics have been average this season, ranking 15th in three-point percentage allowed at 34.9%. Opposing teams have made 12.9 threes per game against Boston this season.
Overall, the Celtics have been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, allowing just 109.0 points per game, which is 5th in the league. They have been even better at home, giving up just 107.6 points per game, which is 4th in the NBA.
One area where Boston has excelled defensively is at the free-throw line. They lead the league in fewest made free-throws allowed per game at just 17.2.
Coming in as 14.5 point favorites, our projections have the Celtics picking up a 114-112 win.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Betting Tips
- Take the Celtics on the moneyline
- On the spread, we like Heat (+14.5)
- Projecting a combined 226 points, we like the over
Boston Celtics Injury Report
- Luke Kornet – Calf – Out
Miami Heat Injury Report
- Jimmy Butler – Knee – Out
- Josh Richardson – Shoulder – Out
- Terry Rozier – Neck – Out
