Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 24/04/2024, 04:56  by Devesh Jaganath in NBA Predictions

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will face off in game 2 of the East NBA Playoffs at TD Garden on Wednesday night. The hosts are the 1-seed while the visitors are seeded eighth. 

The Celtics asserted their dominance with a commanding victory in Game 1, comfortably defeating their opponents 114-94 while covering the sizable 14.5-point spread. From start to finish, Boston maintained control, establishing a lead that stretched to as much as 34 points during the game. Jayson Tatum spearheaded the team's effort with an impressive triple-double, tallying 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Derrick White contributed 20 points to the win. This victory adds to Boston's recent success against their opponent. They previously secured wins with scores of 119-111 at the Garden last October, followed by decisive victories of 143-110 and 110-106 in Florida.  The Celtics are clearly still on fire, and in this form, the team can quickly close out the first series, which is very important in the context of the long distance. Although Luke Kornet is sidelined, his absence is unlikely to significantly impact the team's playoff rotation, given his limited playing time.

Prior to facing the Boston Celtics in this series, the Miami Heat earned their place through the play-in tournament and secured a victory against the Atlanta Hawks. Throughout the regular season, they maintained a record of 46 wins and 36 losses. However, without their leading scorer Jimmy Butler, Miami struggled against Boston in game 1, falling behind by 15 points at halftime and trailing by 32 points heading into the fourth quarter. Despite Delon Wright's perfect 5-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, the rest of the Heat squad struggled, converting only 7-of-32 three-point attempts. Bam Adebayo stepped up as the leading scorer with 24 points, while Delon Wright contributed 17 points off the bench. Despite their strong defensive reputation this season, the Heat proved unable to contain the Celtics in Game 1. Their hopes of levelling the series hinge on their ability to recalibrate their defensive prowess. Butler is confirmed to remain sidelined for the rest of the series due to a sprained MCL, and Kyle Lowry is ruled out for Game 2 with a neck injury.