Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics: NBA Picks
One game tonight in the NBA but it’s huge, a major chance for Boston to stay alive in this series. Going down 2-0 to Miami – especially as well as their second unit played – would cripple the Celtics. We mine the best value on the board for you including a great chance to cash on a player prop!
Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics Predictions
Heat ML @ +125
After surviving in OT Miami looks to continue that late momentum in tonight’s game. Look for a quick start by the Heat, trying to continue to capitalize on some early pressure. They took a bit to start out in game 1, but it looks like they showed plenty of consistency while closing out Boston in overtime. Expect that to carry over and Jimmy Butler – more on him below – to set the early pace. Boston isn’t going away this game and should be able to keep up with Miami. The Celtics are top heavy and are definitely susceptible to being beat off the bench. Goran Dragic led the way last time and I’m not entirely confident that Brad Stevens and Boston have figured out how to slow him down.
Under 208 @ -103
This is a tough one to call but there’s good value in this return. What’s difficult about this series is that even with efficient scoring, the tempo can be slow enough to keep it at around 200 points. I think we have to factor in both teams’ ability – or want – to slow things down as the game gets tighter, which in this case slows down hitting that number. I like the Under 208 because it gives a little cushion for either of these teams to go on a little run, and even stretch a lead to 6-8 points. We’ve seen a couple of low scoring quarters and that’s going to be a consistent factor moving forward. I love Miami barely outlasting Boston in a low scoring game where neither team hits over 104. We might barely slide in here, but it’s a high enough total to take the risk and worth the near equal return!
Jimmy Butler Over 19.5 @ -110
This is my favorite player prop of the night mainly because of the expected adjustments Boston should make. Life was easy for Butler not having to give more than 20 last time, mainly because of Dragic going off on the Celtics. Butler should be a huge factor early on, and we know will be a source of offense late in the game. We have it covered both ways with Jimmy tonight, as this game can be series-altering with another Heat win. There’s also the competitor in Butler who saw a W last game, but he wasn’t a key piece. I like that motivation fueling him tonight to get past 20 points. This might be one of those 30+ point performances, especially if Boston adjusts their rotation to handle more of Dragic. Crazy to think, but between that and stopping Bam down low, Butler might slip through the cracks. Rolling with another big night by Butler, take the over