When the Boston Celtics host the Miami Heat on Friday night at TD Garden, they will hope to make their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2010.
The Boston Celtics are one win away from reaching the NBA Finals after winning Game 5 of their series against the Miami Heat 93-80. That won’t be easy, but they have a lot going for them, the most crucial of which being the TD Garden crowd and the immense momentum they’ve built after taking the last game in Miami.
Miami, on the other hand, is attempting to avoid elimination after losing its last two games. The Miami Heat are a nine-point underdog against the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This contest’s over/under is set at 200.5 points.
Heat to Play in Must-Win Game to Stay Alive
In the Conference Finals, Miami has struggled to establish consistency, and while Game 5 was competitive at halftime, the Heat failed to start the third quarter strong once again.
The Celtics won by a score of 32-16 over the Heat, allowing them to glide to victory. In the game, Bam Adebayo had a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds, while Gabe Vincent had 15 points off the bench, and Jimmy Butler added 13 points to the total.
The Heat’s inability to generate consistent offense in the halfcourt, as well as their egregious three-point shooting, has been their undoing in this series.
Thanks in part to Boston’s defense, which is the finest Miami has seen this postseason, and among the best in the NBA, the Heat shot 30 for 90 in Game 4 and 30 for 94 in Game 5. With Jimmy Butler not 100 percent, Kyle Lowry’s zero points in Game 5 was a huge storyline.
Miami began the playoffs with a 32.6 percent three-point shooting percentage, the worst of the four remaining teams and 13th overall among the 16 teams.
The Heat missed 38 three-point attempts on Wednesday, the second-highest total in an NBA playoff game involving any team. Miami hopes to get their second-leading scorer back in Tyler Herro, who has missed the last two games due to injury.
Celtics Look to Get to the Finals for the first time since 2010
Boston is one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals after winning Game 5 with a strong second half. They trailed by five points at halftime but outscored Miami by 18 points in the second half to win comfortably. Jaylen Brown led the team with 25 points, followed by Jayson Tatum with 22 points and 12 rebounds, Al Horford with 16, and Derrick White with 14.
AL Horford, Robert Williams, and Jaylen Brown are all giving outstanding performances for Boston. In Game 5, Brown played a huge role, scoring 25 points on 10-of-19 (5-9 3pt) shooting, including a thunderous slam to help Boston outscore Miami by 16 points in the third quarter to cruise to victory.
The Celtics’ defense is outstanding, with constant pressure, no breakdowns, and relentless competition. The Celtics are proving to be the greatest defense in the league, as they held the Heat to a miserable 31% shooting in Game 5.
Just like they were throughout the regular season, the Celtics hope to create more pressure defensively on Miami as they simply lack the offensive firepower to keep up with Boston, especially at home.
Betting Pick
Boston’s players have been in fantastic form recently, and the Celtics will have nothing to worry about if they keep playing at this high of a level, particularly on defense.
Because the Heat aren’t 100 percent healthy, as well as Miami’s awful shooting, defeating them in Game 6 shouldn’t be too difficult. That being said, the Heat have only won three quarters in this entire series, and I don’t think that will change now that the Celtics have home-court advantage.
The Heat have yet to lose ATS (2-0) as a nine-point underdog or greater this season. This Heat club, on the other hand, has been absolutely ravaged by injury, and they’ll have a difficult time covering the Celtics on the road.
I believe the Celtics will win this game in a big way and head back to the finals for the first time since 2010.
Betting Pick: Celtics -9
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