Expert Top Pick of the Day: Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
The Heat and Celtics battle again tonight for supremacy in the Eastern Conference. Boston is coming off a win Wednesday in Miami that put them in the driver’s seat for tonight’s matchup. They have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and can make their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2010 with a victory.
The Heat are still hoping to get healthy and hoping that NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro can make an appearance tonight after missing the last two games with a groin injury. He was their second-leading scorer during the regular season but only averaged 13.5 points per game in the playoffs. Even so, his production has been missed in the last two games.
Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Schedule
- Date: Friday, May 27, 2022
- Time: 08:30 PM EDT
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Heat Shooting Has Gone Cold
Miami has been shooting poorly for most of this series, which is disappointing when you look at all the elite shooters on this roster. In back-top-back games, the Heat shot just 16% from three-point range. The other shooters like Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson are very capable but haven’t picked up the slack with Herro out of the lineup.
In the last game, Miami was ahead by five points at halftime. Boston then went on a 24-2 run late in the third period and early in the fourth that put the game away. The Heats’ best scorers have been playing with injuries the entire series and went cold again in the second half as they let the Celtics escape with the win, 93-80.
Celtics Look To Wrap Up Series
The Celtics are in a position to make another trip to the NBA Finals for a chance to win the 18th championship for the franchise and also break the tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most titles in history. They hope to have everyone available tonight as several players are still battling injuries. Jason Tatum is dealing with a shoulder injury, and Marcus Smart is questionable again tonight as he nurses an ankle injury.
Jalen Brown hopes to show up again in Game 6 as he has been quiet for the Celtics in the last few games. He led Boston with 25 points, shooting five for nine from three-point range. The Celtics also limited their turnovers in the previous two matchups after having 23 in Game 3. This is a tough team to beat when they don’t give the ball away.
Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Odds Comparison
For the Heat, the total has gone under in 11 of the last 16 games, and they are 11-4 against the spread in the previous 15 games on the road in Boston. The Celtics are 15-5 against the spread in their last 20 games, and the total has gone under in six of their previous eight games playing as the favorite.
- DraftKings has Boston at -435 on a spread of -8.5, and the game total is 201.
- FanDuel has Boston at -420 on a spread of -9, and the total is 201.5
- Caesars has Boston at -450 on a spread of -8.5, and the total is 201.
Godds Pick or Prediction of the Game
The Celtics are pretty heavy favorites to win this game and make an appearance in the NBA Finals for the 22nd time. Miami hopes to return home for a Game 7, but the result is inevitable unless they can figure out how to overcome their terrible shooting in this series.
- Godds Pick/Prediction: The Celtics will win, and the total goes under.