The Eastern Conference Finals continue today, with the Celtics facing the Heat. At the moment, the series is tied 2-2, with Boston winning the most recent game. Take a look at all of our NBA Computer Picks.
Now, away from their home court, they’ll have to head to Miami to face the Heat. Remember, Miami is where the series started, and Boston secured a big win on the road. They’ll look to do the same again today.
The Miami Heat are hoping to use some home-court advantage tonight. After their Game 4 loss, it’s back to the drawing board for the Miami Heat. This game is a vital one for Miami. If Boston wins, it will force a Game 7.
However, if they win, they’ll put Miami on the brink of elimination. A few injuries could impact the game tonight. So, let’s see if we can build a single-game parlay.
Boston Celtics at Miami Heat Game Preview
Throughout this series, the Celtics’ defense has been on full display. Through the first four games, they’ve allowed the Miami Heat to score only 102.75 points per game.
With a defense this tough, it’s no surprise that the Celtics were able to tie up the series. The question is, can this defense secure them a win on the road tonight? Or will they have to rely on offense?
The Miami Heat have had a tough time on both sides of the ball. In Game 4, they put up only 82 points, a poor display offensively. Tonight, they can’t afford such an awful offensive game.
They have a ton of players listed as questionable for tonight’s game. One of these players is PG Kyle Lowry, who is intrinsic to the Heat’s defense. So, which of these teams is the better pick tonight?
Against the Spread: Boston Celtics -1.5
Although the Heat is playing at home, we think Boston is a much better pick tonight. The Celtics’ defense has been nearly impenetrable, which will lead them to victory tonight.
Jayson Tatum has also been really consistent this series, putting up 31 points in Game 4. With the injuries to Miami piling up, we think the Celtics will get the lead in this series tonight.
The Total: OVER 203.5
This is kind of a tough one to take, considering how each team has performed. On the surface, the under might seem like the better bet.
However, the total has gone over in 5 of Boston’s last seven games when playing on the road against Miami. Keeping this in mind, we’ll take the over. It also helps that the total has been set so low because of previous performances.
To Score 15+ Points: Bam Adebayo -164
We’re going to take a player from the Miami Heat for this one. Adebayo has proven himself to be a strong interior player and a great scorer.
Through his last ten games, Adebayo has averaged 19.2 points per game. In Game 3, Adebayo led the Miami Heat with 31 points. With a few interior players questionable for Boston, we’ll take Adebayo to score over 15 points.
Win Margin: Boston Celtics (1-10) +180
We don’t think this game will be a blowout like Game 4 was. This will likely only be decided by five to ten points.
Because of this, we’ll add the win margin bet to our single-game parlay. The Celtics have the offense to stay in front of Miami and the defense to finish the game strong.