The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat could be seeing plenty of each other in Orlando, with both teams headed to the Eastern Conference Playoffs. On Tuesday evening, the teams will face off in prime time, with Jayson Tatum leading the way for Boston and Jimmy Butler pacing Miami. The Celtics are on full rest, while the Heat enter the second of a back-to-back set.
Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. ET in Orlando. William Hill lists Boston as the 3.5-point favorite, up half a point from the opening line, while the over-under, or total number of points expected, is 222.5 in the latest Celtics vs. Heat odds. Before making any Heat vs. Celtics picks, check out the latest NBA predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it's already returned well over $4,200 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks this season. It entered the week on a blistering 54-32 run on top-rated NBA spread picks, returning almost $1,900 on those picks alone. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Heat. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA odds from William Hill and trends for Heat vs. Celtics:
- Celtics vs. Heat spread: Celtics -3.5
- Celtics vs. Heat over-under: 222.5 points
- Celtics vs. Heat money line: Celtics -165, Heat +145
- BOS: The Celtics are 5-4-1 against the spread in the last 10 games
- MIA: The Heat are 4-6 against the spread in the last 10 games
Why the Celtics can cover
The Celtics are one of the NBA's best two-way teams, with top-five rankings in offensive and defensive efficiency. Defensively, Boston is one of the league's best at creating turnovers. Against a Miami team that commits a turnover on 14.8 percent of possessions, that havoc could be utilized to create transition offense.
The Celtics do have a weakness on the defensive glass but, in this matchup, Miami isn't set up to take advantage, with a bottom-10 ranking in offensive rebounding. Boston also ranks as a top-tier team in both offensive rebounding and turnover avoidance on the other side of the floor, allowing for Brad Stevens' team to score efficiently and avoid some of the pitfalls that could occur against a strong Miami defense.
Why the Heat can cover
Miami deploys one of the NBA's best offenses, with strong balance and talent that fits well together. The Heat rank in the top three of the league in both shooting efficiency and free-throw rate, with Boston struggling to keep opponents away from the charity stripe on a regular basis.
On the other end of the floor, Miami is also above-average in the aggregate. Much of its success is keyed by an elite defensive rebounding profile. While Boston does a strong job on the offensive glass in their own right, Miami has been fantastic in preventing second-chance opportunities, which should be crucial in this particular matchup.
How to make Celtics vs. Heat picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, with Gordon Hayward and Goran Dragic projected to fall short of their scoring averages. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Celtics vs. Heat? And which side of the spread cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Heat vs. Celtics spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $4,200 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.
