There are a few ways to look at Game 5 of the series between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. It is possible to see it as a Celtics’ defense clinic that allowed Boston to take control of the series. But with how woefully the Heat shot the ball from the 3-point line, it is difficult to not want to assign blame to Miami for not trying something different.
Betting stats NBA show the Heat shot 15.6 percent (7-of-45) from beyond the arc in a 13-point loss. As a result, the game never got close to 200 points and seemed like a game out of a different era of the league’s history. On a positive note for Boston, the Celtics earned the opportunity to close out Miami at home and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
Last game records
Boston beat Miami 93-80 Wednesday night in South Beath. The Celtics lead the series 3-2.
Matchup Information
Heat at Celtics Betting Analysis
Miami Analysis
The Heat didn’t have a good time during Game 5 at home. Miami shot 31.9 percent from the field in addition to their woes from the perimeter. The poor shooting didn’t lead to a reduced effort on the glass.
The Heat held a 19-6 edge in offensive rebounds and a 49-46 edge in shots overall. This shows learning how to be on NBA is difficult. Miami, despite its rebounding advantage, only had a 40-36 edge in points in the paint.
Miami star forward Jimmy Butler, who played through knee pain, had a tough night and was limited to 13 pints. Heat center Bam Adebayo led the team with 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Gabe Vincent also scored 15 points in 23 minutes of action. Of more concern for the Heat was the performance of Kyle Lowry and Max Strus.
Lowry didn’t score at all, while Strus had four points.
Boston Analysis
Boston had an okay shooting night but was much more efficient than Miami. The Celtics shot 46.5 percent from the field and actually attempted 23 fewer shots than the Heat. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 25 points, while Al Horford also contributed 16 points. Boston was just so effective on defense. The Celtics blocked seven shots and kept the pressure on all game.
Boston actually committed more turnovers than Miami and only shot 30.3 percent (10-of-33) from the perimeter.
Updates
Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro are all listed as day-to-day for the Heat. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra expected all of them to be available for Game 6, except for Herro. Herro’s status is still uncertain.
Boston forward Sam Hauser will be out with a shoulder injury. Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III are listed as day-to-day for the Celtics.
- Miami is 55-42-1 against the spread.
- Boston is 54-41-3 against the spread.
- The over has gone 53-44-1 in the Heat’s games this season.
- The over has gone 48-49-1 in the Celtics’ games this season.
- Miami is 15-8 against the spread as an away underdog.
- Boston is 20-25-1 against the spread as a home favorite.
Heat at Celtics Betting Preview
NBA betting odds have Boston as an 8.5-point favorite. The Celtics are -420 on the moneyline, while the Heat are +320. Anyone looking to make other NBA picks can take a shot at the over/under which is set at 201 points.
Heat at Celtics Betting Prediction
The Heat have about half of their team on the injured list. Miami also appeared to be playing on tired legs during Game 5 at home. If the Heat can find a way to rediscover their strong 3-point shooting, which has carried them all season, winning in Boston will be a Herculean task.
The Celtics seem to have figured out a way to make things difficult on Miami’s shooters. While the Celtics will want to tighten up their rebounding, Boston seems to have found the formula to suffocate the Heat. Boston will snuff out the flame in Game 6, covering the spread in the process.
How to bet Heat at Celtics
Bet Boston -8.5
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