Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off tonight between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. Miami took care of business on their home floor in Game One behind a 41 point masterpiece from Jimmy Butler. The Celtics will be revamped tonight as the get Al Horford back from the COVID disabled list, but will need to make some serious adjustments to avoid going down two games in this series.
Derrick White is out tonight for Boston while Kyle Lowry remains out for Miami
Game Two tips off from FTX arena in Miami at 8:30 pm ET on ESPN.
The Betting Angles:
Tonight’s line opens with the Heat as -3.5 point favorites, with a -160 moneyline. The Celtics are +3.5 with a +140 moneyline.
Why the Heat can win and cover -3.5:
The Heat are 8-4 against the spread in the playoffs, and they’ve won all of their home games as well. Expect another spectacular game from Jimmy Butler on his home court tonight, as he’s now averaging 29.8 ppg in the playoffs. Miami’s defense in the third quarter of Game One was historically phenomenal. If they can even remotely replicate that performance tonight they should fare quite well against the Celtics offensive attack. If Jimmy takes over, gets similar support as he did in Game One, and Miami’s defense shows up again, they could walk out of the arena with a 2-0 lead.
Why the Celtics can win and cover +3.5:
The Celtics are bound to improve a bit from their abysmal third quarter performance in game one. Marcus Smart is also listed as probable for tonight’s game, so their defense is bound to improve. Robert Williams was also fantastic in his first game back, but was fatigued. With Al Horford returning, he won’t need to play as many minutes, but can still be very effective. If Boston’s defense bounces back and their returning players contribute they could tie up this series at one game a piece.
The Pick: Take Boston +3.5
The Celtics are basically back to full strength with Smart and Horford returning. Both of those players provide a massive boost for the Celtics defense, which wasn’t as great as it has been last game. The Celtics have also covered the spread in nine of their last ten games coming off a loss. Take the Celtics tonight to cover, and potentially win and tie up the series.
