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The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat are in for a fight in Game 7 Sunday night with a trip to the 2022 NBA Finals on the line. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Celtics-Heat prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
The Heat pulled out a gutsy 111-103 Game 6 win to force a do-or-die back in South Beach. Jimmy Butler put on a masterclass performance with 47 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and four steals and came up huge down the stretch to keep Miami alive in the postseason. Kyle Lowry also finally looked like his old self. The veteran guard tallied 18 points and four three-pointers, including a huge one to tie the game as Boston made its run down the stretch.
Meanwhile, the Celtics missed a golden opportunity to book their ticket to the NBA Finals on their home floor. Jayson Tatum's 30-piece wasn't enough to propel Boston to San Francisco for Game 1 of the championship round this Thursday. Instead, they'll be flying back to South Beach for this winner-take-all.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Celtics-Heat NBA Playoffs odds for Game 7.
NBA Playoffs Odds: Celtics-Heat Odds
Boston Celtics: -3 (-110)
Miami Heat: +3 (-110)
Over: 196.5 (-110)
Under: 196.5 (-110)
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Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
Despite playing on the road for this crucial Game 7, the Celtics are still the favorites to come out of this series. Even though they blew a chance to win the series on their home floor, Boston is still the more superior squad talent-wise between the two teams.
The Celtics finished with a 23-18 record on the road in the regular season. They've shown they can get huge wins on away from home soil throughout this postseason. You wouldn't need to look far for an example. Game 5 proved to be a pivotal win for the Celtics and they did so in dominant fashion, especially in the second half.
Moreover, Boston has been tested this season in terms of Game 7s. They went through a seven-game bloodbath versus the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and dethroned the reigning champs with a convincing 109-81 win. Though that game occurred at TD Garden, the Celtics, at least, know what to expect in this type of situation.
Boston has listed Robert Williams and Marcus Smart as questionable for Sunday night. Given that both have played in each of the last two games (Williams has played since Game 4), they should be ready to go. Williams' presence has been huge as he has made Bam Adebayo a non-factor in this series. Adebayo's only good game this series came when Williams wasn't on the floor due to injury. Is that a coincidence? It doesn't seem so.
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
Despite having a homecourt advantage for their most important game of the postseason so far, the Heat enter Sunday as slight underdogs. Jimmy Butler played arguably the best game of his entire career in Game 6 to keep his team's season alive. Expect the fierce competitor to come out swinging in this winner-take-all as he looks to lead Miami to its second Finals stint in three years.
Miami finally got vintage Kyle Lowry to show up. The 36-year-old had been struggling mightily throughout this series. But he turned back the clock and looked like the Kyle Lowry of old in Game 6. He still shot just 5-of-14 from the field. But his four three-pointers, 18 points, and 10 assists were huge to help carry the offensive load Jimmy Butler put forth in their win last Friday.
Max Strus also finally broke out of his shooting funk. The 6-foot-5 guard had gone 0-of-11 in Games 4 and 5. But he regained his stroke, especially in the second half. Strus scored 11 points of his 15 points and drained three 3-pointers in the third quarter alone.
Miami's X-Factor for this game will be Bam Adebayo. If he is able to shake off the Celtics' defense upfront and give them something offensively, the Heat will be in good shape to win Sunday.
Miami is still dealing with a ton of injuries. But that is just the nature of the beast in the playoffs. The Heat have listed Lowry (left hamstring), Strus (right hamstring), Gabe Vincent (left hamstring), PJ Tucker (left knee), and Tyler Herro (left groin) as questionable on the injury report. All of them aside from Herro have played in Miami's last four games at least. Herro has missed the last three games for the Heat but it doesn't look like he is making a return in Game 7. It is possible, however, that he returns because they do need his shooting ability. Miami could really use the 2021-22 Sixth Man of the Year, as he finished as their second-leading scorer in the regular season.
Final Celtics-Heat Prediction & Pick
I'm going with my gut here and picking the Heat to win and cover the spread in Game 7. The Celtics blew their chance to win the series at home and opened the door for a motivated Heat squad to take it on their own floor. Jimmy Butler was locked in for Game 6 and expect the same mindset on Sunday. Kyle Lowry looked like his old self and Bam Adebayo should play much better than he has in this do-or-die affair.
Final Celtics-Heat Prediction & Pick: Miami Heat: +3 (-110)
