Heat vs. Celtics Prediction & Odds
The eighth-seeded Miami Heat remain in Boston to take on the 2nd-seeded Celtics on TNT Friday night at 8:30 PM ET in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Can the Celtics cover the 9-point spread as home favorites?
Miami leads the series 1-0.
The Miami Heat went 44-38 in the regular season. They are 10-4 in the play-in and playoffs this year. The Heat are 40-53-3 ATS on the season.
The Boston Celtics went 57-25 in the regular season. They are 8-6 in the playoffs so far. The Celtics are 54-42 ATS on the year.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
537 Miami Heat (+9) at 538 Boston Celtics (-9); O/U 215.5
8:30 PM ET, Friday, May 19, 2023
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Heat vs. Celtics Public Betting Information
Our NBA Public Betting Information page indicates that 61% of public bettors are currently backing the Heat +9 in this contest. Note that these numbers are subject to change, so be sure to check the link to receive the most up-to-date public betting data.
Miami Heat DFS Spin
Miami guard Tyler Herro has a broken right hand which will keep him out for Friday’s game. Miami shooting guard Victor Oladipo injured his left knee and he’ll miss Friday’s game and the rest of the season.
Heat center Bam Adebayo poured in 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting from the field in Miami’s 123-116 Game 1 win on Tuesday. He could easily reach that mark again. For the playoffs, Adebayo is averaging 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. You could do worse if you’re looking for a center in DFS on Friday.
Boston Celtics DFS Spin
Boston point guard Malcolm Brogdon is probable for Friday’s game with a right forearm strain. He would be a nice addition to your DFS lineup as he’s posting 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.3 made three-pointers per game in 14 games off the bench this postseason.
For a high-volume DFS play, consider Boston’s Marcus Smart for your point guard spot. Smart leads the Celtics with 5.5 assists per game this postseason, and he’s third on the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game in the playoffs thus far. Smart only took 7 shots in Game 1 and the Celtics lost, so I could see him taking several more shots from the field in Game 2 on Friday.
Heat vs. Celtics NBA Betting Trends
Miami is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 Friday games.
Boston is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following an ATS loss.
Boston is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following an outright loss.
Boston is 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games overall.
Heat vs. Celtics NBA Prediction
After losing Game 1 of this series at home, the Celtics have their back against the wall for Game 2. They can’t afford to lose both games at home as they’d then be forced to win at least 2 road games in order to win the series. In these playoffs, Boston beat Atlanta at home by 13 points in Game 2 of the first round, and the Celtics beat Philadelphia at home in Game 2 by 34 points. Miami lost Game 2 of their first-round series by 16 points after winning Game 1 on the road against Milwaukee.
A few stats cause me to lean toward Boston in this game. The Celtics have been elite on short rest as they are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games playing on 1 day of rest. Boston has also taken care of business at home as they are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 home games. And finally, the Celtics have bounced back after allowing triple digits in their previous game. Boston is 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games after allowing more than 100 points in their previous game. I believe that Boston will win this game handily and send the series back to Miami knotted at 1 game apiece.
NBA BETTING PREDICTION: BOSTON CELTICS -9
