The consensus for the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat series was that the Celtics had a chance to sweep the Jimmy Butler-less heat. The Heat eliminated that possibility when they upset the Celtics in Game 2. Miami kept it close all game before shooting the lights out from three to run away with the lead. The Heat shot 53% from three-point, hitting a team record 23. The Heat may need the same type of performance in Game 3 to win, but the question is whether they can cover. It is time to continue our NBA odds series with a Celtics-Heat prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Celtics clinched the No.1 spot in the Eastern Conference early, which made their remaining regular season games less competitive than normal. They shook it off by beating the Wizards and Hornets in the last two games of the regular season and looked fine when they defeated the Heat by 20 in Game 1. However, some of their old issues offensive issues cropped up in Game 2. Boston looked a lot like the team that went down 3-0 to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and they'll need to shake that off if they want to advance.

The Heat had no expectations entering this series. Jimmy Butler heroically played three quarters on a sprained MCL in the play-in game, which eventually led to a loss. This caused the Heat to have to win a game without their superstar against the Bulls, which they did. Beating the Celtics without Butler would be a much tougher task but they helped their case by taking home-court advantage with a win in Game 2.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Playoffs Odds: Celtics-Heat Game 3 Odds

Boston Celtics: -9.5 (-105)

Moneyline: -450

Miami Heat: +9.5 (-115)

Moneyline: +340

Over: 204.5 (-105)

Under: 204.5 (-115)

How to Watch Celtics vs. Heat Game 3 

Time: 6 PM ET/3 PM PT

TV: TNT, NBC Sports Boston, Bally Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Celtics were dealt a blow to their ego when the Heat beat them on homecourt in Game 2. You would want to believe they'll stop taking the Heat lightly and take care of business on the road. The Heat should be nowhere near the Celtics without Jimmy Butler, but they leaned on elite three-point shooting to win Game 2. The Heat shot 37.2% from three in the regular season, which ranked them 12th in the NBA. The Celtics should win comfortably if the Heat regress to that in Game 3.

Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Heat may not win if they don't get elite three-point shooting in Game 3. However, the spread is interesting considering the Celtics play away from home. We know about the Heat's never-say-die attitude and their home-court advantage. The Celtics ran away with Game 1 as 14-point favorites, but the Heat made it close enough in the end to have a mini-sweat. Then, the Game 2 result of the Heat winning outright by ten as 14-point underdogs gave me little reason to believe in the Celtics. The Celtics will take a 2-1 lead after this game, but it should be closer than people think.

Final Celtics-Heat Prediction & Pick

A lot is made about “Heat Culture”, which is the belief that Miami could beat anyone regardless of talent level because of how Pat Riley builds their teams and Erik Spoelstra coaches. Most of that culture died when perennial playoff performer Jimmy Butler went down in the play-in round, but some clutch players remain on the roster. The Celtics will wear out the Heat as the series continues, but take the Heat to cover in this one.

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Final Celtics-Heat Prediction & Pick: Heat +9.5 (-115)