The Miami Heat were able to keep their season alive with an incredible performance from star small forward Jimmy Butler in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics on Friday night. Butler poured in 47 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out eight assists in the 111-103 win. He will try to lead the Heat to a win at home in Game 7 on Sunday evening. Miami has the home crowd on its side and aims to be the one to face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals starting Thursday.
Tip-off in Miami is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. Boston is favored by three-points in the latest Celtics vs. Heat NBA odds at Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under for total points scored is set at 196.5. Before you make any Heat vs. Celtics picks or NBA predictions, you need to see what SportsLine expert Zack Cimini has to say.
A Las Vegas handicapper who’s never afraid to buck conventional wisdom, Cimini excels in multiple sports. Over the past 33 NBA picks, Cimini is 22-11, returning almost $800 to $100 players. He is also on an amazing 38-16-1 run with his last 55 against-the-spread picks involving the Celtics, returning almost $1,800 to $100 players.
Now, Cimini has set his sights on Celtics vs. Heat, and just locked in his picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Heat vs. Celtics:
- Celtics vs. Heat spread: Celtics -3
- Celtics vs. Heat over-under: 196.5 points
- Celtics vs. Heat money line: Celtics -150, Heat +130
- Celtics vs. Heat tickets: See tickets at StubHub
- BOS: The Celtics are 23-13 ATS after a loss this season
- MIA: The Heat are 33-30 ATS after a victory in 2021-22
Featured Game | Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
Why the Celtics can cover
Boston was unable to overcome Butler’s brilliant game on Friday, but it is unlikely that he can duplicate that outing on Sunday. He had scored 27 combined points over the previous three games of the series, getting held to single digits in two of those contests. The Heat continue to lack a secondary scoring punch behind Butler, giving Boston an edge.
The Celtics have also been better on the road than at home, covering the spread in 11 of their last 12 road games. They have covered in four of their last five games in Miami, including double-digit wins in their last two trips. In addition, Boston had the league’s best scoring defense in the regular season, allowing 104.7 points per game.
Why the Heat can cover
Miami is 20-10 against the spread this season as an underdog (4-2 at home) and 10-7 ATS in this postseason. Butler showed Friday night that he can simply take over a game, and he will be pushed hard by the home crowd. Butler averaged 21.4 points in the regular season and is at 26.9 for the series. His 47 points Friday were his career postseason high. Miami led the league in 3-point shooting (37.9 percent), but is hitting just 31.5 percent in the series.
The Heat also have been strong on the defensive end all season. They were fourth in the NBA in both scoring defense (105.6 points per game) and opponent field-goal percentage (44.7) in the regular season. Center Bam Adebayo also is due for a big game, as he is averaging 13.3 points, well below his 19.1 season average, and two fewer rebounds (10.1-8.0).
How to make Celtics vs. Heat picks
For Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, Cimini is leaning under on the point total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side of the Heat vs. Celtics spread to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins Celtics vs. Heat? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Heat vs. Celtics spread you need to jump on Sunday, all from the expert that has crushed his NBA picks, and find out.