Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Odds, Predictions in 2nd Game of the Eastern Conference Finals

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The eighth-seeded Miami Heat continue to shock the experts as they upset Boston in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday, yet sportsbooks still list the Celtics as heavy home favorites on the NBA odds for Game 2 on Friday.

Heat vs. Celtics, Game 2 | 2023 NBA Expert Analysis

How to Bet Miami at Boston NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Friday, 8:30 PM ET
Where: TD Garden
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Celtics -9 (total 215.5)

Why Bet on Miami?

The Heat improved to 3-0 in Game 1s on the road in these playoffs with the 123-116 upset in Game 1 of Boston. Jimmy Butler was typically great with 35 points, seven assists, five rebounds and a whopping six steals in 43 minutes. Butler, who scored 20 points in the second half alone, surpassed the 30-point mark for the first time since Game 5 of the quarterfinal round. His consistently excellent performances have taken the No. 8 seed Heat to within three wins of a second Finals appearance in four seasons.

Butler is averaging 11.2 points (123 total) in the first quarter this postseason, the highest first quarter scoring averaging in the NBA over the last 25 years. He has recorded seven double-figure scoring first quarters during these playoffs, the third-most for a single postseason in team history.

Bam Adebayo also played well with 20 points on 9-for-13 shooting, eight boards and five rebounds. Adebayo came out hot after the break, scoring nine of his 20 points in the decisive third quarter that Miami won 46-25. Adebayo’s presence in the paint was huge for Miami to start the second half. Four other Heat players scored at least 15 points, as Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry all chipped.

Miami scored 46 points in the third quarter in Game 1 to take control, the highest scoring quarter in Heat postseason history. It also ties the third-most all-time in NBA conference/divisional finals history.

The Heat lost three of four quarters and still won the game. Since the 2020 bubble, the Heat have won 7 playoff games where they lost 3 of the 4 quarters. The rest of the NBA has 7 such wins combined. Wednesday was Miami’s 37th clutch time win of the season, including playoffs. That’s tied for their most in a season over the last 25 years. Miami also won 37 clutch time games in 2012-13 when it won the title.

The Heat are the fifth team in league history to win three straight Game 1s on the road in a single postseason, joining the 2021 Hawks, 1999 Knicks, 1989 Bulls and 1981 Rockets. New York and Houston made the NBA Finals but lost.

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Why Bet on Boston?

The big story of Game 1 was Celtics star Jayson Tatum failing to register a shot in the fourth quarter and committing three turnovers over a span of four possessions en route to a 123-116 loss. Tatum finished with 30 points on an efficient 9-of-17 shooting from the field while grabbing seven rebounds and a block, but his offensive struggles in the fourth quarter overshadowed his early success, especially with Boston surrendering a 13-point lead.

Tatum struggled when he was defended by Jimmy Butler in Game 1. Tatum had Butler as his final defender on 41 half court plays and shot just 38 percent on those possessions compared to 60 percent against all other defenders. . The Celtics outscored the Heat by 22 points in the paint in Game 1, but it didn’t matter because Miami was so accurate from deep as the Heat outscored the Celtics by 18 points behind the three-point arc.

Marcus Smart played well with 13 points and 11 assists. Smart, who tallied 10 of his 11 assists in the first half, surpassed the double-digit assist total for the first time this postseason while now reaching double figures in scoring in 13 of 14 playoff games. Jaylen Brown finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points.

Coach Joe Mazzulla trotted out the double-big lineup to start the game, but Robert Williams turned in mixed results. He did give the Celtics extra possessions on the offensive end with his hustle on the boards and went 6-for-6 from the floor for 14 points while also grabbing seven rebounds. But Miami also hunted Williams in switches as he finished as a minus-14.

Including Wednesday’s Game 1 loss, the Celtics are now 10-10 at TD Garden over the past two postseasons. Boston entered Game 1 with an 0-3 record in playoff games decided by seven points or less this year and is now 0-4. The Celtics will be looking to improve on their 4-1 record in these playoffs coming off of a loss, and an 11-3 record in those situations over the past two playoffs.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll come out ready to play in Game 2,” Williams said after Boston’s practice Thursday afternoon. “But the problem is we can’t keep relying on that. We can’t rely on our backs being against the wall. There’s no time for it. We have to fix it.”

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