Heat vs. Celtics Series Odds
| Heat | Celtics | |
|---|---|---|
| Series Winner | -145 | +115 |
| Win in 4 | ||
| Win in 5 | +470 | |
| Win in 6 | +430 | +290 |
| Win in 7 | +260 | +320 |
| Odds as of Saturday and via FanDuel. | ||
After Game 3
The Celtics staged a late comeback, but it ultimately fell short as Boston was unable to recover from a poor first half. Miami got off to a fast start and led the Celtics 62-47 at the half. Jimmy Butler, who finished with eight points in 20 minutes, left the game with a knee injury, so that will certainly be something to monitor moving forward.
However, as far as Game 3 was concerned, Bam Adebayo (31 points, 10 rebounds), P.J. Tucker (17 points) and Max Strus (16 points) carried the Heat to a pivotal road win. Miami has guaranteed itself at least a split in this two-game trip to Boston and moved from +170 to -145 to win the series.
The Celtics entered the game as -200 favorites to win the series, but are now listed at +115.
After Game 2
The return of both Marcus Smart and Al Horford paid big dividends for the Celtics as Boston cruised to a 127-102 victory in Game 2. Smart nearly finished with a triple-double as he totaled 24 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Horford grabbed three rebounds and finished with 10 points. Jimmy Butler led Miami with 29 points, but the Heat turned the ball over 14 times and shot just 30.4% from beyond the arc.
The series now shifts to Boston for Game 3 and the Celtics have moved to the favorites to win the series. Boston is priced at -200, while the Heat are +170.
After Game 1
The Heat took Game 1 of the East finals behind a dominant third-quarter performance in which they outscored the Celtics by 25 points. Both teams were playing shorthanded, but the Celtics were down two starters compared to one for the Heat.
Al Horford is expected to miss Game 2 as well after entering health and safety protocols Tuesday, and there hasn’t been any word on if Smart will be ready by Thursday.
As for the series, the Heat went from +150 underdogs to -125 favorites after Game 1. Their odds to win the series in five games dropped from +800 before the series to +375 after the win.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are back in the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three seasons. They face the same opponent they beat to in Orlando to advance to the 2020 NBA Finals, but things are bit different this time around.
The Heat are the top seed this time around and not the scrappy underdog no one saw coming, even if they still carry themselves as such. The Heat dispatched the Philadelphia 76ers with relative ease in six games and will have five days of rest when Game 1 of the conference finals tips. Unfortunately, the extra time won’t help them on the injury front. Starting point guard Kyle Lowry is expected to miss Game 1 with a hamstring injury and his status for the rest of the series is unclear.
The Heat will need to rely on their role players and their star Jimmy Butler whose offensive game has been exceptional in the playoffs — he’s the second-leading scorer left in the postseason (29.7 PPG) behind Luka Doncic.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics had to knock off two of the most dangerous teams in the East just to make the Eastern Conference finals and did it in impressive fashion. The went on the road in a must-win Game 6 and Jayson Tatum out-dueled Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then in Boston, they got a career game in from Grant Williams to put the Bucks away in Game 7.
The Celtics actually had the best Net Rating (+9.1) of any team in the playoffs despite going the full seven games, and their defense was suffocating, holding the Bucks to 99.7 points per 100 possessions for the series.
BetMGM has the Celtics listed as the favorites in this series at -185, which translates to about 62% implied odds, and their odds to win in six are the lowest on the board at +280.
Celtics vs. Heat Game 4 Odds
| Celtics Odds | -6.5 |
| Heat Odds | +6.5 |
| Moneyline | -275 / +225 |
| Over/Under | 208.4 |
| Time | Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
| Odds as of Saturday and via FanDuel. | |
Heat vs. Celtics Conference Finals Schedule
Game 1: Heat 118, Celtics 107
Game 2: Celtics 127, Heat 102
Game 3: Heat 109, Celtics 103
Game 5: Wednesday, May 25 | 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 6: Friday, May 27 | 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (If Nec.)
Game 7: Sunday, May 29 | 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (If Nec.)