The Boston Celtics (47-29, 39-34-3 ATS) head back home tonight to take on the Miami Heat (48-28, 41-34-1 ATS) at TD Garden. Boston is looking to bounce back after a tough, short-handed loss to the Toronto Raptors, while Miami will be hoping to string together their second win in a row after a rough four-game losing streak.
According to the online sports book Betonline.ag, the Boston Celtics are 5-point favorites:
Jayson Tatum (knee) and Jaylen Brown (knee) are both listed as probable. Robert Williams is the only Celtic listed as out for the game against Miami. He just underwent successful surgery to repair his torn meniscus and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
For the Heat, three players are listed as questionable – Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent, and Caleb Martin.
G: Marcus Smart
G: Jaylen Brown
F: Jayson Tatum
F: Grant Williams
C: Al Horford
G: Kyle Lowry
G: Max Strus
F: Jimmy Butler
F: PJ Tucker
C: Bam Adebayo
The Celtics fought hard in their last game against Toronto, but they were missing Tatum, Brown, Williams, and Horford. They took the Raptors to overtime but ended up falling just short. If they want to beat Miami, they’re going to have to come with that same fight. That being said, in the two games they’ve played the Heat this year, Boston has absolutely dominated. They won by 17 in the first matchup and by 30 in the second.
Due to their two wins, Boston already owns the tiebreaker, but a win against Miami would do wonders for the Celtics in the standings. They are currently sitting at third in the East, just one game behind the Heat in first place. In addition, the Milwaukee Bucks are half a game ahead of the C’s, and the Philadelphia 76ers are half a game behind.
Miami took down the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, but before that, they were on a four-game losing streak. They lost to the Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid or James Harden, the Golden State Warriors without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, and the New York Knicks without Julius Randle. It was during that stretch that we saw them begin to fall apart at the seams. Erik Spoelstra and Udonis Haslem got into a verbal confrontation with Jimmy Butler on the sidelines. It was a mess.
As far as standings go, the Heat are in first right now, but that is subject to change. If they lose, the Celtics jump them, and a virtual three-way tie for first forms between the Celtics, Heat, and Bucks. And past that, the Sixers would only be one game back of the three.
TIP-OFF: 7:30 p.m. @ TD Garden
RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub
TV: ESPN
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