MENU
The Boston Celtics go on the road to face the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena on Thursday night.
Almost Back at Full Strength
The Boston Celtics have struggled to live up to their preseason billing as the number one team in the LeBron-less Eastern Conference. But after suffering injuries to key players, Boston is back at full strength with only Aron Baynes out (but expected to be back soon) of commission. The Celtics have won four in a row including a 27 point rout of the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Entering Wednesday’s games, the Celtics ranked 3rd in scoring defense at 105.3 points per game allowed. Boston is also 6th in the NBA in passing at 26.2 assists per game and 14th off the glass with 45.2 rebounds per game. The Celtics score an average of 111.9 points per game which puts them at 12th among 30 teams.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat 1/10/19
Moneyline Odds: Celtics -110, Heat -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/10/19
Falling Below .500
The Miami Heat have fallen below .500 mark after suffering back to back losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets. Prior to that, the Heat won eight out of their last 10 games to move up in the team standings and go over .500. Despite this setbacks, Miami is still on top of the Southeast Division and now will take on the Boston Celtics in the second of a three game homestand.
The Heat are the 5th best defensive team in the league in terms of scoring defense as they only allow their opponents to score 105.7 points per game this season. Miami is ranked 5th in rebounding with their 47.2 boards per game average. On the offensive end is another story though. Miami is just 26th in team scoring at 106.3 points per game and 20th in assists at 23.3 dimes per contest.
Who Wins?
Entering Wednesday’s games, the Celtics are 4-1 SU in their last five games played. Boston is 10-10 SU in 20 road games played this season. The Heat are 8-4 SU in their last 12 games played. Miami is 9-12 SU in 21 home games played this season. Head to head, the Celtics are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games against the Heat and the Celtics are 5-1 SU in their last six games against the Heat at the American Airlines Arena.
The Celtics have been winning with their air-tight defense but they have become more dangerous now that they are starting to pour in the points in recent weeks. In fact, Boston is averaging 120 points per game during their current four game win streak.
Make no mistake, the Celtics are 12th in scoring but they ought to be ranked higher given the depth of their lineup. I think Boston’s offense is too much for the Heat to contain and the C’s are going to pick up a road win here.
We’re picking the Boston Celtics to beat the Miami Heat on 1/10/19.
Other Bets To Make
Boston is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. The Celtics are 8-16 ATS in their last 24 games played on the road. Miami is 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games played. The Heat are 9-12 ATS in 21 home games played so far. Head to head, the Heat are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Celtics but Boston is 5-1 ATS when playing Miami at the American Airlines Arena.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat 1/10/19
Spread Odds: Celtics -1 (-105), Heat +1 (-115)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/10/19
Not only are the Celtics playing well as of late, they have been playing very well against teams from their conference. Boston is 4-0 ATS in their last four games against Southeast division teams, 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games against their Eastern Conference rivals and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Heat meanwhile are 0-4 ATS in their last four games played on a one-day rest and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Prediction: Celtics -1
The total has gone over in seven out of the last nine games played by the Celtics. The over is 5-0 in Boston’s last five road games played. The over is 6-2 in the Heat’s last eight games played. Head to head, the total has gone over in 18 out of the last 25 games between these two teams in Miami.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat 1/10/19
Over/Under Odds: Over 210 -113, Under 210 -107
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/10/19
The trends point to the total going over in this contest but don’t forget that these teams haven’t played each other this season yet. More importantly, don’t forget that Boston is the 3rd best defensive team in the league and that the Heat are just two spots behind them in the defensive scoring statistics at #5. I’m not expecting a shootout here.
Prediction:Under 210
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks 04/19/2023 NBA Odds and Prediction
New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers 04/17/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees 04/14/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
OKC Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans 04/12/2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Odds and Prediction
