Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Predictions and Odds Jan 31
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat betting preview for Monday, January 31. At the time of posting, the Celtics have opened as a 3.5-point home favorite over the road Heat, with the total sitting at 208.5 points.
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| Monday, January 31 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Boston Celtics -3.5 vs Miami Heat |
| Total: | 208.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 7:40pm ET / 4:40pm PT |
| Arena: | TD Garden in Boston, MA |
| TV: | NBATV |
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Analysis
NBATV will feature an Eastern Conference showdown between the 32-18 Miami Heat and 26-25 Boston Celtics on Monday night. The Celtics moved one game above .500 after beating the New Orleans Pelicans 107-97 on Saturday night.
Meanwhile the Heat still have the top record in the East after losing a triple-overtime thriller 124-120 against the Toronto Raptors. Boston won the first head-to-head meeting 95-78 on the road in early November. These teams will meet again for a 3rd and final time on March 30th.
Celtics Hope To Build Momentum
The Boston Celtics sit at 9th place in the Eastern Conference and would be a participant in the play in round if the season ended today. The Celtics have are 16-10 at home compared to a 10-15 road record. The 107-97 victory over New Orleans was their 3rd win in their past four games.
Jayson Tatum led the way with a game high 38 points on 17 for 26 from the field including 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Jaylen Brown wasn’t far behind with 31 points while shooting 11 for 20. Brown and Tatum combined for 69 points while the rest of team scored only 38 points.
The Celtics have excelled defensively where they rank 4th in defensive efficiency. They allow only 104.8 points a game, good for 6th in the association. Other than Tatum and Brown they struggle with scoring, where they rank 19th with 107.7 points per game. The Celtics are basically at full strength, outside of Romeo Langford being day-to-day with a minor injury.
Heat Rise To Top of Eastern Conference
The Miami Heat have scratched and clawed their way to the top of the Eastern Conference, currently holding a one game lead over the Chicago Bulls. Playing the second game of a back-to-back, the last thing they wanted was a triple-overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Jimmy Butler posted a 37 point, 14 rebound, 10 assist triple double in the loss. Unfortunately he needed 52 minutes to get there and is now questionable with a nagging right ankle injury. Butler leads the team with 22 points per game while averaging 6.3 rebounds and assists. Bam Adebayo averages a double-double with 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest. Kyle Lowry will miss Mondays game, as he remains out due to personal reasons.
Markieff Morris, Omer Yurtseven and KZ Okpala have all been also been ruled out for various reasons. The Heat are similar to the Celtics, in that they are a defensive team with offense taking the back seat. Miami ranks 7th in defensive efficiency, while ranking 4th with only 104.4 points allowed per game. They score 109.1 points a game, landing them at 14th in the league.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Prediction
The Boston Celtics are 3.5 point home favorites with a total of 208.5. We are going to see what both teams have left in the tank, as both are playing their 3rd game in four nights. These teams have drastically different over/under records, as the Celtics are 21-29-1 while the Heat are actually 31-19.
However they could be without Butler and may favor a slower pace, coming off a triple-overtime marathon. The Heat play the 2nd slowest pace in the NBA while the Celtics are 6th slowest. These teams combined for only 173 points in their first contest this season.
This feels like a slow paced grind it out type game with at least one team falling short of 100 points, if not both. We will make a small play on the under in this contest.
Prediction: UNDER 208.5
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Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Preview from GoldSheet
Miami could well be without the services of star Jimmy Butler, who sprained his ankle in playing a season-high 52 minutes on Saturday in a 124-120 loss in 3 OTs. The Heat have played without their leader Butler a bit this year, as he’s missed 18 games, but one thing that has become a recurring theme is for Erik Spoelstra’s team to rebound from disappointing performances.
Miami has covered seven straight chances coming off a straight up loss, so the disappointing home result against Toronto should give the team some focus in this outing. Boston franchise has been nothing but mediocre this season, hovering around .500 nearly all season as various injuries, squabbles and a general malaise has left residents of the Boston area far more concerned with the severity of the recent weather and the prospects for the Red Sox this spring than the fortunes of the Celtics.
The visitor has won and covered four straight in this matchup, including an eyebrow raising 95-78 Boston win at the American Airlines Arena Nov. 4, a result fueled by a team dinner held by the troubled Celts to clear the air.
That result was the worst offensive showing for the Heat all season (and by a margin, we might add) and expect the team to review video of the previous match highlighting the 32 missed triples (Heat went 9 of 41 from beyond the arc).
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Monday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat contest.
NBA Betting Strategy
Ride the hot and fade the cold. Which advanced stats should you be paying the most attention to? Kelly Stewart sat down with Teddy Covers and Skee Profit to discuss some of their favorite NBA betting tips.
NBA Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Monday’s NBA games, including this Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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