The No. 1 seed Miami Heat hope to keep their season alive when they face the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics Friday at TD Garden in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston leads the best-of-7 series 3-2. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we look at the Heat vs. Celtics odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Boston took control of the series by clobbering Miami 93-80 in Game 4 Wednesday. The Celtics doubled the Heat up 32-16 in the 3rd quarter to key the victory.
Miami SF Jimmy Butler only posted 13 points on 4-for-18 shooting, while Boston SF Jayson Tatum and SG Jaylen Brown combined for 47 points.
The Celtics are 3-2 against the spread (ATS) in this series with a plus-8.9 net rating and the Over/Under (O/U) is 3-2.
Heat at Celtics odds and lines
- Money line: Heat +330 (bet $100 to win $330) | Celtics -450 (bet $450 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Heat +8.5 (-110) | Celtics -8.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 201.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
Heat at Celtics key injuries
Heat
- PG Tyler Herro (groin) questionable
- PG Kyle Lowry (hamstring) questionable
- SG Max Strus (hamstring) questionable
- PF P.J. Tucker (knee) questionable
- PG Gabe Vincent (hamstring) questionable
Celtics
- PG Marcus Smart (ankle) questionable
- C Robert Williams III (knee) questionable
Heat at Celtics picks and predictions
Prediction
Celtics 101, Heat 96
Money line
PASS.
The Heat (+330) are too banged up and overmatched, but the Celtics (-450) are way too expensive for an outright bet in a clinch game.
Most of Miami’s backcourt rotation is on the injury report, Lowry is shooting just 21.7% in his 3 games played in this series with 8 assists to 7 turnovers. Herro, the Heat’s 2nd scoring option, was sidelined with an injury Games 3 and 4.
But Miami is too well-coached and Boston is too reliant on 3-pointers to even think about laying -450 with the Celtics.