Celtics vs Heat Prediction
The Battle for the Sixth Seed Between the Celtics and the Heat
The Celtics will host the Heat during this great Mother’s Day afternoon game. The matchup has the sixth, and the seventh seed go head to head in hopes of avoiding the play in.
The game will be hosted at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. The Irish fans will be cheering loud and proud as Jimmy Butler and company try to take down the Celtics.
There are major implications for this Eastern-conference finals replay, and you don’t want to miss it this afternoon. The battle to stay completely away from the play in is in full swing as each team has four games left after today.
The Heat Playing Solid Basketball
The Heat have been playing extremely well the past few weeks. They come into today’s matchup 36-31, just one game better than the Celtics. The season has been long enough already, and now the battle to avoid the play-in ensues for the Heat, giving them one more thing to deal with.
Miami is coming off of a home win against the dreadful Timberwolves on Friday night. Jimmy Butler stuffed the stat chat with 25 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals. After missing the six previous games, Tyler Herro had a stellar shooting night with 27 points on 10-13 from the field.
The newly acquired star, Victor Oladipo, continues to sit with knee-soreness. He will stay in Miami for Sunday and Tuesday games, and the Heat hope to see him for the final three regular-season showdowns.
They have been 8-3 in their past 11 games and have won 4 of the last 5. With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo leading the two young shooters in Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro, the Heat are poised to be a big-time threat in the playoffs.
The Heat have looked good and are starting to get a rhythm as they enter into a surprisingly competitive Eastern playoff race this year. As long as they stay healthy, Miami has a chance to repeat last year with a trip to the NBA finals.
The Boston Celtics Look To Rebound After Disappointing Loss
The Celtics have been playing well all year long, and to sit in the 7th position in the East is astounding. They are 35-32 and are looking for a deep playoff run.
Boston gets to fly back home after a loss to the 11-seed Bulls. They weren’t able to contain the two young guards Zach Lavine and Coby White. They also weren’t able to reduce the playmaking ability of Nikola Vucevuc, as he recorded a triple-double.
The defense will most certainly have to be better against this tough and gritty Miami team. On the other hand, Jayson Tatum had an off-game on Friday where he only scored 9 points on 3-15 shooting. But, Kemba Walker was able to carry the offensive load with 33 points while shooting 10-22 from the field.
As the playoffs become closer and closer, the C’s are hoping to see the return of all-star guard Jaylen Brown. After the scary collision between him and fellow super-star Jayson Tatum earlier this week against the Trail Blazers, Jaylen Brown has been out with a sprained ankle. He is questionable for today’s contest.
The Celtics have a strong chance to compete in this year’s playoffs. They have won 3 of the last 5 games, but just 4 of the last 10. Their play will have to pick up today against a tough opponent in the Miami Heat.
Pick and Prediction
The Celtics are -1.5 against the Heat in today’s matchup. This game is expected to be a tough battle to the end, and I believe the Heat will pull out the victory in the end. I’m going with the Heat at +1.5.
The Heat have been hot as the playoffs approach, and I think they continue this play today against the Celtics. Jimmy Butler will lead the way with a triple-double, and Bam Adebayo will follow with a double-double.
This game will be nationally televised at 1:00 P.M. on ESPN.
Pick: Heat +1.5
