The Boston Celtics (35-12 SU, 25-21-1 ATS) head to Miami-Dade Arena on Tuesday to take on the Miami Heat (26-22, 18-27-3). The Celtics are 9-1 in their last 10 contests while the Heat have won five of their last seven outings.
The Heat opened as the slim 1-point favorite at home as the Celtics have several question marks throughout their lineup heading into Tuesday night. Boston has won five of its last seven games against Miami while the OVER is 13-7 in the last 20 meetings between the teams.
Latest Betting Notes: Celtics
The Celtics had their nine-game win streak snapped Monday as they fell 113-98 to the Orlando Magic. Paolo Banchero (23 points) led the Magic to victory while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 26 points apiece for the Celtics in their first loss since January 3.
Boston heads into this matchup with several key pieces potentially missing from the lineup: Marcus Smart (ankle), Robert Williams III (knee) and Malcolm Brogdon (personal) are all questionable for Tuesday night.
Tatum, Brown and Brogdon have all been key cogs in Boston’s success to start the new year, combining for 75 points per game in January. Brogdon in particular has been efficient off the bench – if he’s out, the C’s will need to find some extra offense from elsewhere.
Latest Betting Notes: Heat
The Heat picked up a 100-96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in their last game on Sunday. Tyler Herro led the way with 26 points while Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo had 18 apiece. Trey Murphy III topped the Pelicans with just 17 points in the loss.
Miami has been on the upswing since Christmas, winning 10 of its last 15 contests despite owning the worst offense in the NBA (108.6 points per game). The Heat have balanced that out by boasting the league’s second-best defense (108.4 points against per game), while spreading out the scoring from night to night – five different players have led Miami in points through 11 games in January.
The Keys to Victory: Celtics
The Celtics would likely be the favorite with a fully healthy lineup but they’ve got too many question marks heading into Tuesday to give them the clear edge. If Smart, Williams and Brogdon are all out, that’ll put even more pressure on Tatum and Brown to have big performances.
Luckily, Boston’s dynamic duo have shown that they’re more than capable of stepping up to the challenge: either Tatum or Brown has led the Celtics in points in every single game this season. Tatum has been particularly hot of late, averaging 36 points over his last four outings – he’ll likely need to be that good again to get his team the win.
The Keys to Victory: Heat
The Heat will be in tough against the Celtics, who own the second-best offense in the league at 118.5 points per game. Miami may just be the perfect counter, though, holding opponents to 98 points or less in each of its last three victories.
On the offensive side, the Heat boast a strong trio of their own in Butler, Adebayo and Herro, who are each averaging more than 20 points per game this season. Those three will likely need to collectively outscore Tatum and Brown if Miami is going to take down the Eastern Conference leaders.
