| Tuesday, May 17<\/th>\n | NBA Betting Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|
| Point Spread:<\/td>\n | Miami Heat -2 vs Boston Celtics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Total:<\/td>\n | 204 Points<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Game Time:<\/td>\n | 8:45pm ET \/ 5:45pm PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Arena:<\/td>\n | FTX Arena in Miami, FL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| TV:<\/td>\n | ESPN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nHeat vs Celtics Analysis<\/h2>\nThe Boston Celtics take their talents to South Beach for Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n The Heat handled their business against the Philadelphia 76ers in six games, while the Celtics needed 7 games to finish off the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks.<\/p>\n Boston won two of three head-to-head matchups against Miami during the regular season. Tip off is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST from Miami.<\/p>\n Rest or Rust For Heat?<\/h3>\nThe Miami Heat have not played since last Thursday, giving them some time to deal with nagging injuries and gameplan for the Eastern Conference Finals.<\/p>\n Jimmy Butler led the way for his team in Game 6 with 32 points, while Max Strus had a 20 point 11 rebound double double. The Heat finished the regular season 53-29 and were dominant at home with a 29-12 record.<\/p>\n The went 1-2 against the Celtics this season, but did win the most recent game 106-98 in March. The Heat are dealing with a multitude of injuries, first and foremost being Kyle Lowry who is already officially listed as out for Game 1.<\/p>\n P.J. Tucker, Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent are all listed as questionable but should be able to play on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n Quick Turnaround For Celtics<\/h3>\nThe Boston Celtics will be rushed into Game 1 of the Eastern after finishing off the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 on Sunday.<\/p>\n Due to their series lasting seven games, they will not get any extra rest before traveling to Miami. They dominated the Bucks from start to finish, resulting in a 109-81 runaway victory.<\/p>\n Jayson Tatum had 23 points, while Marcus Smart had an 11 point 10 rebound double double. But the player of the game had to be Grant Williams, who had a career high 27 points on 10 of 22 from the field including a staggering 7 for 18 from long distance.<\/p>\n The Celtics went 23-18 on the road this season. With news of Robert Williams not having a minutes restriction, the Celtics come into this game fully healthy.<\/p>\n Heat vs Celtics Prediction<\/h2>\nThe Miami Heat are small two point favorites with a total set at 204. This series should be evenly matched, a seven game series would be no surprise.<\/p>\n However in Game 1, the rest will truly benefit the Miami Heat. Boston had to push hard for all seven games in a physical series against the defending champs.<\/p>\n Both these teams have been great against the spread, Miami ranks 3rd at 53-39-1 ATS, while Boston ranks 4th at 51-39-3. In their last head-to-head meeting the Heat seemed to have a defensive gameplan of stopping the supporting cast and forcing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown into bad shots.<\/p>\n While I do think the Celtics ultimately win this series, the Heat have an undeniable rest advantage with extra time to gameplan. I will back a small play on the Heat in Game 1.<\/p>\n Speaking of the series, the Celtics are favored with a -185 money line I expect a seven game series so I wouldn’t lay games to lower the juice. The smartest play is to take the Celtics at plus money to win the series if they do lose Game 1.<\/p>\n I did this last series, getting a +145 number after they lost Game 3 against Milwaukee and fell behind 2-1. If the Celtics do prevail in Game 1, we may have lost our shot but I would back them if you can get plus money value at any point in the series.<\/p>\n Prediction: Miami Heat -2 <\/strong> |
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