Celtics vs. Heat Pick
Will the host Miami Heat end the 16-game winning streak of the Boston Celtics tonight at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Celtics are listed as a 3.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is listed at 197 points.
Boston enters at 16-2 overall and 15-2-1 ATS after a 110-102 overtime victory at Dallas to move its winning streak to 16 games. Miami is 7-9 overall and 5-9-2 ATS after a 120-95 home loss to the Pacers. The Celtics won a meeting on Oct. 28 in Miami by a count of 96-90. Boston is 5-0 straight up and 3-2 ATS in five meetings since the start of last season.
In the win at Dallas, Kyrie Irving poured in 47 points and dished out six assists to lead the way. Jaylen Brown had 22 points and nine boards. Jayson Tatum added 15 points and nine boards. The Celtics outscored the Mavs 14-6 in overtime.
Wayne Ellington paced the Heat with 25 points off the bench in the loss to Indiana. Hassan Whiteside had 15 points and seven rebounds, while Josh Richardson also scored 15. Miami trailed by three at halftime and were outscored 32-13 in the third quarter.
Boston is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings overall and 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings in Miami.
This streak has been an amazing story, but it’s time to come to an end. The Celtics have had way too many close calls in the last several weeks and rallying so many times, including in the fourth quarter at Dallas, has to be tiring. This will be another tough game on the road against a team salty from a bad home defeat days prior. While Boston has good recent history here, it is a team way beyond due for a loss whether straight up or ATS. Although to be fair, we wouldn’t complain if Boston won by three or fewer points to keep the streak alive.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: MIAMI HEAT +3.5