Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat betting tips and predictions for Friday’s NBA Playoffs game on TNT. After an upset win in Game 1, the Miami Heat are trying to shock the Boston Celtics one more time as the two teams meet up for Game 2 at TD Garden tonight. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Boston Celtics
After a superb first half which they ended with a 9-point lead, the Boston Celtics collapsed in the 3rd quarter of Game 1 allowing 46 points. They lost the quarter by 21 points and there was simply no coming back from that in a 123-116 loss. Jayson Tatum was once again invisible in the 4th quarter, and so was the Celtics defense the entire night as they allowed the Heat to shoot 54% from the field and 51% from three.
Game 2 is in many ways the biggest game of the season for the Cs, playing at home should be a helping factor here as they’ve gone 11-4 SU in their last 15 at TD Garden. They are also 5-1 SU in their last 6 games played on a Friday. The spread has also increased from 8.5 points in Game 1 to 9.5 points ahead of Game 2. Boston has covered in 12 of 18 games overall.
Miami Heat
Playoff Jimmy is a real thing. Butler once again put on a signature performance as he dropped 35 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 7 assists and collected 6 steals. He was all over the place and when that happens Miami is really tough to beat. Expectations aren’t high for the Heat coming into Game 2 as they already got the split, but if they get 15 points from each of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin like they did in Game 1, it could be a long night for Boston once again.
Miami is 8-2 SU in their last 10 games, they’ve also covered the spread in 8 games during that run. And what makes all this even more impressive is the fact that they are doing it without the injured Oladipo and Herro.
Miami got what they came for already, so it’s unrealistic to expect them to get another victory here. However, I do like their chances of covering the spread as they are double-digit underdogs. In 12 postseason games so far they’ve lost only once by double-digits, so I’ll take my chances by backing them to cover here.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Predictions & Odds
Just like we saw in the Nuggets vs Lakers game last night, a slower tempo is bound to happen in Game 2 as I doubt the two teams can keep shooting over 50% from the field in the Playoffs. Boston’s best chance of winning here is to put the clamps on the Heat, as they did against the Philadelphia 76ers multiple times in Round 2. The projected total has gone up to 215.5 points here, up 3 points compared to Game 1.
These 2 opponents are averaging only 211.7 points per game in the last 10 meetings with the O/U record being split at 5-5 during that stretch. Miami connected on 16 threes in the series opener, for a team that’s not exactly known for their three-point shooting that probably won’t happen again in Game 2. I think both teams cool off a bit here and the under lands as a result.
