Heat vs. Celtics Game 6 Betting: Back Celtics to Cover, End Series

The Golden State Warriors punched their ticket to the 2021-22 NBA Finals on Thursday night, eliminating the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Now, the Boston Celtics have a chance to meet the Warriors if they can get past the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday, May 27.

Just like Game 4, Game 5 was another low scoring affair for these two teams, resulting in a 93-80 victory for the Celtics. They haven’t been to the NBA Finals since 2010 and must keep their foot on the pedal if they want to end that drought tonight.

On the other hand, the Heat are desperately looking for a miracle to turn things around and need their superstars to make a difference.

Can the Celtics put their opponents down for good and advance? Or will the Heat for a Game 7?

Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Game 6 Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Matchup: #1 Miami Heat vs. #2 Boston Celtics
• Venue & Location: TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Date: Friday, May 27, 2022
• Time: 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• How to Watch Tonight’s Heat vs. Celtics Game 6: ESPN

Heat vs. Celtics Game 6 Odds

Odds are via our top reviewed and recommended sportsbooks.

BetOnline

• Spread: Miami Heat +8.5 (-110), Boston Celtics -8.5 (-110)
• Over/Under: OVER 201 (-110), UNDER 201 (-110)
• Moneyline: Miami Heat +330, Boston Celtics -420

Bovada Sportsbook

• Spread: Miami Heat +8.5 (-110), Boston Celtics -8.5 (-110)
• Over/Under: OVER 201 (-110), UNDER 201 (-110)
• Moneyline: Miami Heat +350, Boston Celtics -450

BetUS

• Spread: Miami Heat +8.5 (-110), Boston Celtics -8.5 (-110)
• Over/Under: OVER 201 (-110), UNDER 201 (-110)
• Moneyline: Miami Heat +320, Boston Celtics -420

Heat Can’t Win if Stars Don’t Show Up

The Heat’s offense has completely disappeared over the last game as the team’s been held to an average of 81 points since Game 4. The Celtics have already proven how that just isn’t good enough to win, so something has to change.

Jimmy Butler continues to struggle following his 41-point Game 1 performance. He finished his last outing with 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting (.222), giving him 9.0 PPG on .250/.143/1.000 shooting over the last three contests of the series.

Simply put, Miami can’t win as long as Jimmy Butler is playing like that. It certainly doesn’t help that the other starting players haven’t contributed much either.

Kyle Lowry’s hamstring injury has hampered his ability to contribute. The 36-year-old didn’t connect on any of his six field-goal attempts in Game 5. He’s only averaging 5.6 PPG with a .267 field-goal percentage in the playoffs, making him one of the Heat’s worst players.

If that wasn’t enough, Max Strus finished without a field goal for his second straight game. He’s now questionable for Game 6 with a hamstring injury but is expected to play.

In fact, Lowry (hamstring), Gabe Vincent (hamstring), P.J. Tucker (knee) and Tyler Herro (groin) are all questionable ahead of Game 6. The majority (if not all) of them should end up playing, but it’ll be important to keep an eye out for any updates.

At the end of the day, the Heat need to solve the Celtics’ defense. They need to find a way to get to triple-digit point totals again and that starts with them shooting better than they did last game (.319/.156/.929).

Celtics Can’t Give Heat Any Room

The Celtics’ defense has been nothing short of fantastic against the Heat over the last two games. However, they can’t afford to give Miami any room to breathe.

Unlike the Heat, Boston’s top stars did show up in Game 5. Jaylen Brown paced the team with 25 points with a .526 FG% while shooting .556 from three-point range. Jayson Tatum also made his presence felt, finishing with a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double. He had nine assists as well.

Al Horford even showed that he can do a bit of everything, ending the night with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocks.

The Celtics let their starting five handle most of the tasks on Wednesday. Aside from Derrick White (29:09), Grant Williams (23:02) and Payton Pritchard (6:05), the rest of Boston’s lineup each ended the night with 1:32 of playing time.

Although the Celtics’ win was impressive, it wasn’t exactly perfect either.

Marcus Smart continues to deal with an ankle injury that’s prevented him from contributing as much as he can. The team said that it’s unlikely to heal during the playoffs, meaning this is something that could affect him in the long run.

Smart is questionable for Game 6, as is Robert Williams (knee). Both players powered through their injuries on Wednesday and fans should expect the same tonight.

Heat vs. Celtics Game 6 Prediction and Best Bets

Prediction: Celtics 109, Heat 93

Best Bets: Celtics -8.5 (-110 at BetOnline Sportsbook) and Over 201 (-110 at Bovada Sportsbook)

The Celtics have been the much better team recent and I fully expect them to close out the series tonight. The Heat have left too much to be desired and I don’t have faith in their stars showing up.

I’m also taking the over on the total. Even though the game should be a low-scoring affair, I expect the potential of Miami being eliminated to lead to more points.

Best Prop Pick for Heat vs. Celtics Game 6

• Marcus Smart Under 12.5 Points (-112 at BetOnline Sportsbook)

Marcus Smart’s ankle injury should prevent him from being an offensive contributor.

His playing time dropped by 13 minutes in Game 5 compared to his last outing, resulting in him finishing with just five points on 2-of-5 shooting.

The Celtics likely want him to be healthy for a potential NBA Finals appearance, leading to him not doing too much work in Game 6 tonight.

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