Celtic vs. Heat picks, best bets: why Miami can keep things close in low-scoring Game 1

Photo of author

By Webdesk


jimmy-butler-jaylen-brown-getty.png
Getty Images

Now that we are in the heat of battle NBA playoffs, the basketball betting market is hotter than ever. CBS Sports will make daily picks during the postseason. Sam Quinn will make at least one pick for every game between now and the NBA Final. All rules courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

Recommended game | Boston Celtics v Miami Heat

The Heat is arguably the best Game 1 team in the NBA. Since taking over Jimmy Butler in 2019, they have gone 8-2 in Game 1s. While only one of those victories was a true road victory, four of them came against higher ranked opponents. The Celtics, meanwhile, lost Game 1 of their series against Philadelphia despite the absence of Joel Embiid and lost two Game 1’s in their run-up to the Final last year. Boston tends to feel an opponent early in a series. Miami is getting going. The choice: heat +8

Boston’s defense struggled for most of the first two rounds, but once it put Robert Williams III on the starting lineup for Game 6 against the 76ers? They held Philadelphia under 90 points in back-to-back games. The last four games of last year’s matchup averaged under 192 points, and this time these teams have so much experience against each other that the defenses should know how to approach the opposing team right away. Expect a low-scoring series. The choice: less than 210.5

Miami has put Kevin Love on power forward for most of this postseason. Boston complicates that plan. Jimmy Butler will probably guard Jayson Tatum anyway, but would Miami really trust Max Strus to guard Jaylen Brown? I would expect more minutes with Caleb Martin on power forward as a Brown matchup, with Strus hiding behind Al Horford, who will have to spend much of his time behind the arch in this matchup if Boston plans to take the floor well distributed with Williams in the game. If Miami does indeed play a bit smaller, that should give Robert Williams plenty of room to clean up on the glass. The pick: Williams over 7.5 rebounds





Source link

Share via
Copy link