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Edgar Chaput
Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Prediction, NBA Odds
The NBA continues its quirky scheduling habits when the Miami Heat visit … the Boston Celtics? (checks the schedule) Yes. Again.
It’s December in Boston and revenge is a dish best served cold, so Miami will look to split the two-game stint in Beantown after falling 134-121 on Wednesday night.
The Celtics are 8.5-point favourites on the NBA odds. The O/U is 225.0.
Heat vs. Celtics NBA Betting Odds
We won’t copy and paste what was discussed a couple of days ago. Besides, fans of these squads not only know their side well but probably the opposition too. This just happens to be one of the odder moments in their bitter rivalry.
It’s therefore time to get into the deeper weeds. This is the third of four meetings in 2022-2023 between the squads. Boston is already up 2-0 and is heading into this game very healthy, unlike Miami. The last time either side swept the season series was back in 2016-2017 when the Celtics took all four contests.
The Celtics are on a two-game regular-season win streak against the Heat. The last time they extended that to at least three was over the course of the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 campaigns when they strung together five consecutive victories. Home teams haven’t won at least two meetings in a season since 2019-2020, so a Boston win would break that streak. TGIF has been all right for the Celtics this season, as they are 5-1 at TD Garden when kicking off the weekend.
Miami Heat
Wednesday night didn’t go according to plan for Eric Spoelstra’s men. Jimmy Butler’s absence is keenly felt in games that require his special brand of leadership, such as when entering the lion’s den of TD Garden. At the time of writing, Butler is still listed as questionable due to a lingering knee issue. Compounding the squad’s ailments are Tyler Herro and Max Strus’ day-to-day statuses.
Strus’ absence would be a massive blow given his performance on Wednesday. He showed little fear in going head-to-head with Jason Tatum in a three-point contest. Strus’ 5-for-10 effort (23 points overall) kept poking at the host’s lead, reminding them the fight wasn’t over. All things considered, the Heat played about as good an offensive game as one could expect without Butler. Herro contributed with his own 22 points, and Bam Adebayo tallied 23 on 10-for-19 shooting. Miami was the better team in the paint, outscoring Boston 50-44. As many other teams have learned this season, the problem was slowing down the Celtics.
Boston Celtics
Jason Tatum was a force to be reckoned with on Wednesday. He had 49 points in total on 15-for-25 field goal shooting, most notably a fantastic 8-for-12 from beyond the arc. Tatum pitched in 11 rebounds to boot. It was just one of those nights.
One of the many reasons why the Celtics have been so efficient this year is the diversity of their cast. Wednesday was Tatum’s night. Sometimes it’s Jaylen Brown. On other occasions, Grant Williams and Marcus Smart boost their numbers. Malcolm Brogdon has proven his worth as the new addition to the team. The attack can come from anywhere and everywhere. They rank first in points per game, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage. They’re near the bottom in offensive rebounding (28th) and the stunning thing is that it barely matters.
It’s tempting to pick the team seeking revenge, but the circumstances simply don’t favour it. Who suits up for the Heat will be key.
MIA
BOS