In what has been a staggering start to this series, to say the least, the Boston Celtics will travel to the warm weather of the “Magic City” to look to avoid an 0-3 deficit at the hands of the Miami Heat. Join us for our NBA odds series, where our Celtics-Heat prediction will be revealed for all to see.
Shockingly enough, the Boston Celtics are fresh off of losing the first two games of this series at home and now must win back-to-back matchups in Miami to steal back home-court advantage. All in all, the Celtics will enter Game 3 as favorites despite all of their problems and struggles thus far against the Heat.
It's officially Miami O'Clock ladies and gentlemen! Behind the brilliance of Jimmy Butler and others, the Heat have pulled off the unthinkable and are in firm control of their path back to the NBA Finals. After edging out the Celtics 111-105 in Game 2, can the Heat treat their home fans to a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday?
Here are the Celtics-Heat NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Playoffs Odds: Celtics-Heat Odds
Boston Celtics: -3.5 (-106)
Miami Heat: +3.5 (-114)
Over: 214 (-108)
Under: 214 (-112)
How To Watch Celtics vs. Heat
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT App
Time: 8:30 ET/5:30 PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
If there is anything that went Boston's way in Game 2 of this series, it is the fact that Jayson Tatum showed up with a 34-point performance and did all he could to keep the Celtics in it until the very end. When the dust finally settled, Tatum also ended up with 13 rebounds to go along with eight assists and was the vocal point of the Boston offense all night long.
However, the Celtics crushing loss still occurred in heartbreaking fashion for the team and its fans, as things need to change in a big way if Boston wants to get back into the series. For starters, the Celtics cannot afford for Jaylen Brown to continue to be as bad as he has been. Over the course of his 38 minutes played in Game 2, Brown shot Boston out of the game as he went a horrid 1/7 from downtown while going 7/23 overall. In addition, this doesn't even include the fact that Brown also struggled from the field in the opening game of the series from the three-point line and has gone a combined 2/13 in both games. Simply put, Brown is capable of playing at a superstar level and the Celtics are in dire need of him to step it up before it is too late.
Not to mention, the Celtics have struggled mightily when it comes to their overall sloppiness and unwillingness to grab rebounds off the glass. Alas, Boston ended up turning the ball over 15 times en route to the loss and also was out-rebounded by Miami 45-35 on the night. Clearly, this cannot again be the case if the Celtics want to finally get into the win column of this series.
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
While the Heat sit halfway there to their second NBA Finals appearance in four years and are six wins away from hoisting their first championship since the “Big Three” days with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, there is certainly still work to be done.
Without a doubt, now is not the time to get lackadaisical, as the Heat must first be aware that the Celtics surprisingly play better on the road than at home. All in all, the one thing that makes Miami stand out from the rest is their true exemplary of what true teamwork from a basketball perspective should look like. During Game 2, the Heat had three players with at least 20 points and also scored 42 bench points altogether which ended up sinking the Celtics for good. Unquestionably, if the Heat continue to share the wealth and play unselfish basketball, they will be tough to beat in Game 3 within their home building.
Most importantly, Miami will want to try and score some points in transition to tire out Boston and keep the Celtics honest defensively. Although the Heat are more half-court offense-oriented, they finished with only four fast-break points on the night in Game 2, they would certainly be better off if they were able to push the tempo from time to time to keep Boston on their toes.
Final Celtics-Heat Prediction & Pick
With the Celtics' season practically hanging in the balance, expect Boston to come out and finally string together a stellar performance en route to covering the -3.5 point spread as favorites in hostile territory.
Final Celtics-Heat Prediction & Pick: Celtics -3.5 (-106)
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