With a win in Game Five of their series against the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics are just one victory away from reaching the NBA Finals. That won’t be easy, but they have a lot going for them, the most important of which being the TD Garden crowd and the huge momentum they’ve built up with two wins in a row after stealing the last game in Miami 93-80. Miami is in a terrible spot, but they have no choice but to keep battling. After losing two straight, Erik Spoelstra’s group will look to regroup and grab a win on the road.
The Miami Heat are +9 point underdogs in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, which begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday at TD Garden. The over/under for this contest is set at 200.5 points.
Miami Heat Betting Preview: Heat Hope to Keep Series Alive
Miami has struggled to find consistency in the Conference Finals, and while Game Five was competitive at halftime, the Heat failed to open the third quarter strong once agai. Boston outscored the Heat 32-16, allowing the Celtics to coast to victory from there. Bam Adebayo recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the contest, while Gabe Vincent had 15 points off the bench and Jimmy Butler had 13.
The Heat’s failure to generate consistent offense in the halfcourt as well as their astounding incompetence from three has been their undoing in this series. The Heat shot 30 for 90 in Game 4 and 30 for 94 in Game 5, thanks in part to Boston’s defense, which is the strongest Miami has seen this postseason and among the best in the NBA. Kyle Lowry’s 0 points was a major narrative in game five with Jimmy Butler not 100% on the floor.
Miami started the postseason with a 32.6 percent three-point shooting percentage, the poorest of the four remaining teams and 13th overall among the 16 playoff teams. On Wednesday, the Heat missed 38 three-point attempts, the second-highest total in an NBA playoff game featuring any club. They will have to shoot the ball better, Butler has led them to the playoffs, averaging 25.6 points per game, with Adebayo averaging 14.7 and Tyler Herro averaging 13.5.
Boston Celtics Betting Preview: Boston One Win Away From Finals
The Celtics are coming off back-to-back victories in which their players performed admirably on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Jayson Tatum is the one that sticks out for his outstanding performances.
The forward scored 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out nine assists in the previous game. With 31 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in the last game, he was even better.
Jaylen Brown is another player who has performed admirably in the conference finals thus far. In five games against Miami, Boston’s guard has a total of 125 points.
Free Betting Pick
Boston’s top players have been in terrific form recently, and if they keep playing at this level, the Celtics will have nothing to worry about. Beating the Heat in Game Six shouldn’t be too difficult, as the heat aren’t 100% healthy, in addition to the horrendous shooting of Miami. The Heat have only won three quarters in this whole series and I don’t expect anything to change with the Celtics having home-court advantage in this contest.
This season, the Heat have yet to lose ATS (2-0) as a 9-point underdog or higher. However, this Heat team has been completely decimated by injuries and they’ll have a tall task covering against the Celtics on the road. I think the Celtics close this one in a big way.
4Flush Sports Free Pick: Celtics -9
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