First game of a TNT doubleheader on Tuesday night in the NBA is a potential Eastern Conference playoff preview as the Boston Celtics visit the Miami Heat, who have been spectacular at home this season and will be favored on the NBA odds as long as a few key injured players are able to go.
How to Bet Celtics vs Heat 2020 NBA Odds, Game Info & Expert Pick
- When: Tuesday, 7:30 PM ET
- Where: AmericanAirlines Arena
- TV: TNT
- Stream: NBA League Pass
- Radio: Boston / Miami
- NBA Odds: Heat -1
Season Series
Second of four regular-season matchups. They met in Boston on Dec. 4 and the Celtics won 112-93. Jaylen Brown had 31 points and Kemba Walker 28. Brown connected on a season-high five 3-pointers, and Walker had seven assists and four rebounds with six shots made from beyond the arc. Guard Marcus Smart missed the game due to illness.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 37 points and had six rebounds and four assists. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra left the team in the morning, flying home to be with wife Nikki for the birth of their second son. Assistant coach Dan Craig ran the team. Boston leads the all-time series 74-47 in the regular season but is 28-34 in Miami.
Why Bet on Boston?
The Celtics (30-15) had a three-game winning streak snapped in a 123-108 loss at New Orleans on Sunday. Jaylen Brown (right ankle sprain) returned for the game, posting 20 points, two rebounds and one assist in 36 minutes. Brown had just recovered from a sprained thumb when he hurt his ankle last Monday. He missed two games but started and played well, shooting 8-of-16 from the field.
Kemba Walker had 35 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and four 3-pointers. Walker was voted in as a starter from the Eastern Conference for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago on February 16. This will be the second straight year that he has been named as a starter from the Eastern Conference and it is his fourth All-Star game appearance.
Daniel Theis appeared to hurt his back on Sunday, but returned to finish with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, nine rebounds, two blocks and one assist. Star Jayson Tatum missed the game with a right groin strain but is trending toward playing Tuesday. Enes Kanter also sat with a right hip contusion and will not play here.
Tatum and Kanter were conspicuously absent as the Pelicans were able to outrebound the Celtics 54-37 in the game. New Orleans grabbed 18 offensive rebounds. Boston received only eight points from its bench players.
Marcus Smart sprained his right ankle in the first quarter on Sunday, but returned to finish with seven points on 3-of-13 shooting, seven assists and four rebounds. New Orleans made twice as many 3-pointers as Boston, with an 16-8 advantage. Five Pelicans scored at least 15 points, led by 25 from Jrue Holiday.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 112.31
- Field Goals: 46.07%
- Three Points: 35.56%
- Free Throws: 80.24%
- Rebounds: 45.38
- Average Score Against: 105.64
- Field Goals: 44.54%
- Three Points: 34.77%
- Free Throws: 73.88%
- Rebounds: 44.29
Why Bet on Miami?
The Heat will be in the second of a back-to-back as they hosted Orlando on Monday. Overall, the Heat have played home games on consecutive nights 22 times in team history, having won both games seven times, splitting the pair nine times and dropping both games on six occasions.Good looking rookie Kendrick Nunn was questionable for that one as was point guard Goran Dragic. Dragic has been banged up a bit of late, nursing a bruised knee in addition to his sore calf. Nunn was named the Rookie of the Month for December, becoming the first undrafted NBA rookie to win the award multiple times (also won for Oct/Nov).
Dion Waiters made his season debut vs. the Clippers last Friday, scoring 14 points in 18 minutes with four rebounds, one assist, two blocks and four triples. After three team issued suspensions, Waiters helped himself in a big way with some huge fourth quarter minutes — he blocked Lou Williams twice on the same possession in the final minute and then hit a triple to cut the lead to three points.
Jimmy Butler tweaked his right ankle twice on Friday vs. the Clippers and left for the locker room with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Even though he’s a 7-footer, Meyers Leonard ranks 13th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage at 42.9% (minimum 100 attempts). Duncan Robinson has currently connected on multiple three-point field goals in a new franchise record 16 straight games, surpassing the previous record of 14 consecutive games that he set earlier this season.
The Heat have recorded a 20-plus point lead in the first quarter five times this season. Miami has scored at least 70 first half points five times this season, already the most for any season in franchise history. Miami has recorded a +10.0 scoring margin at home this season, the fourth-highest in the NBA. The Heat are 28-3 this season when out-rebounding their opponent.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 112.20
- Field Goals: 47.26%
- Three Points: 37.92%
- Free Throws: 77.86%
- Rebounds: 45.22
- Average Score Against: 108.30
- Field Goals: 44.36%
- Three Points: 32.83%
- Free Throws: 77.37%
- Rebounds: 41.85
NBA Betting Trends for Celtics vs Heat
- Celtics are 6-3 ATS in the last 9 games
- Celtics are 12-3 SU in the last 15 games against Miami
- The total went UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 5 games on the road
- Heat are 2-6 ATS in the last 8 games when playing at home against Boston
- Heat are 5-2 SU in the last 7 games
- The total went OVER in 8 of Miami’s last 11 games
Celtics vs Heat Expert NBA Betting Prediction
Heat 111, Celtics 109
