On the back of a tough loss to the Raptors, will the Miami Heat bounce back when they face the Celtics on Tuesday? Photo by @MiamiHEAT (Twitter).
- Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Miami Heat are 3.5-point underdogs against the Celtics at 6:30pm EST on August 4th
- Boston beat Portland in a thriller on Sunday with Jayson Tatum returning to form
- Get betting discussion, odds and a pick below
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat matchup on August 4th in their third seeding game in the Orlando bubble. Both teams have gone 1-1 in competitive action at Disney World so far.
Miami suffered defeat to the Raptors on Monday, while Boston got the better of the Portland Trail Blazers in a Sunday thriller. There’s a limited amount for either team to play for in the remaining games with Toronto out of reach in the two seed. Some combination of the Pacers, Sixers, Heat and Celtics will play each other in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
FanDuel’s Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat odds favor the C’s with the spread at 3.5 – what’s the best bet?
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline Odds at FanDuel | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | -3.5 (-110) | -162 | O 222.5 (-110) |
| Miami Heat | +3.5 (-110) | +136 | U 222.5 (-110) |
Odds taken Aug. 4th
Tatum Bounces Back
Jayson Tatum’s ascension before the league’s hiatus was a ceiling raiser for the Celtics. Tatum was doing it all on the offensive end, developing into a complete scorer while becoming an All-Defensive level player at the other end. There’s great pressure on the 22-year-old in the bubble, particularly with Kemba Walker on a minutes restriction.
Tatum had his joint-worst scoring night of the season in the first seeding game. He’s not the first star to struggle against the Milwaukee Bucks’ all-time great defense, but his five-point, two-for-18 night was a concern. Boston will likely have to go through the Bucks to get out of the East – they cannot afford nights like that from their now undisputed number one option.
Jayson Tatum’s 34 PTS (5 3PM), 8 AST paces the @celtics victory in Orlando! #SAPStatLineOfTheNight pic.twitter.com/6rJceme5E1
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) August 3, 2020
Fortunately for Brad Stevens, Tatum was back with a bang in game two. He racked up 34 against Portland, including five threes. His decision making was good too, registering eight assists.
Tatum has only faced the Heat once this season. Miami held him to six-for-19 from the field. The Heat’s defense will be a sterner test than the Blazers’ was.
Punishing Heat Schedule
Back-to-backs are tough on an NBA’s player’s body at the best of times. Being thrown almost straight into a back-to-back is a brutal schedule for Miami.
Their 4-5 record in such situations is okay considering the standard of opponent they have faced in those games, but this scenario is hardly a direct comparison. The standard of basketball has been high in the seeding games thus far, though it would be foolish to ignore the conditioning factor. This is a big ask after a tough game against Toronto on Monday.
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo led the team with 33 minutes apiece against the Raps. That’s a reasonable workload, and there was little sign of fatigue in either of their games so far. Memphis notably struggled on the second night of a back-to-back on Monday, however.
Back the Under
Boston rank fifth in defense. Miami is down in 12th, but Erik Spoelstra has the personnel to put out strong defensive lineups. Spoelstra is an excellent defensive coach too, and will mix things up throughout the game. If a Celtic (most likely Tatum) gets hot, Miami will be proactive and try to take the ball out their hands.
The find by @Bam1of1, the finish by #22 💪 pic.twitter.com/cx7sQUUhmM
— x – Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 3, 2020
The line at 222.5 total points seems generous. Boston’s game with Portland was high-scoring, but that’s a greater reflection on the Blazers than the Cs. Both of these teams rank in the bottom half of the league in pace, with the Heat one of the slowest teams in the league. Likely fatigued from Monday’s game, this could be a sluggish affair with defense getting the better of offense.
Pick: Under 222.5 total points (-110)
Sam Cox is a freelance writer and sports junkie, who has spent the past several years immersed in the online gaming industry. He has worked with 888sport, Oddschecker, and Colossus Bets to name a few. Based in the UK, Sam also runs Franchise Sports with his brother.
source https://casinonewsblogger.com/celtics-vs-heat-odds-and-picks/
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