The Boston Celtics will host the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at TD Garden. Tip-off is set for 7:30PM ET. Boston comes into the game with a 56-19 record, second in the Eastern Conference. Miami is 34-41 and sitting in ninth place in the East.
This is the fourth time these teams have met this season. Boston has won all three games so far, including a 108-89 win at home in December. The Celtics have won nine straight games, while the Heat enter with a five-game win streak. Miami has covered the first-half spread in 28 of its last 41 games, but it hasn’t had much success overall against Boston.
Celtics Preview – Streaking into April
Boston has been strong on both ends of the court. They are giving up just 107.7 points per game, which ranks third in the league. The Celtics are 32-7 on the road but 24-12 at home, giving them a chance to close that gap with a win here.
On offense, the Celtics are led by Jayson Tatum, who scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in their last win over Memphis. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday continue to provide solid scoring and defense. Derrick White had 14 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds in the win over the Grizzlies.
Boston ranks top 5 in three-point shooting and limits opponents to 45.2% shooting from the field, the second-best mark in the NBA. They also rank top 10 in steals and blocks. Jaylen Brown is listed as day-to-day, but the team has won with or without him during this run.
Heat Preview – Playing Through Injuries
Miami has won five straight games after a 10-game losing streak earlier in March. They’ve picked up wins even with key players missing. Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love, and Nikola Jovic are all expected to be out again for Wednesday’s game.
The Heat are relying on Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Herro has scored 29, 20, 36, 30, and 27 points in his last five games. Adebayo had 28 points and 12 rebounds in their last game, continuing to be a steady presence inside.
Miami’s defense allows 107.7 points per game, but they’ve struggled on the glass and rank bottom five in both offensive and defensive rebounds. They are also just 15-22 on the road this season. Despite the win streak, they’ve had trouble keeping up with Boston’s pace and size, losing all three meetings this year by double digits.
Betting Prediction
Boston enters the game on a nine-game win streak and has covered in each of their last three games against Miami. The Celtics are strong defensively and have handled the Heat easily this season. Miami is missing several rotation players and is just 17-27 straight up in its last 44 games.
Boston has dominated the head-to-head matchup and is 9-1 in the last 10 games against Miami. The spread is expected to be around Celtics -10, and with Boston playing at home and healthy, they should win by double digits again. Expect another low-scoring game under the total. The Celtics have hit the team total under in 56 of their last 81 games.
Pick: Boston Celtics -10
