Prediction, Best Bets & Odds Celtics vs Heat Game 3

From play-in to playing for the NBA title? The Miami Heat are two games away from being in that position, and they will be within a win of the Eastern Conference title with a Game 3 win over the Boston Celtics tonight (8:30 pm ET, TNT).

Boston went into the Eastern Conference finals as a heavy favorite, but after coming out on the short end twice at TD Garden, that is no longer the case.

Can they avoid falling in a 3-0 hole or will Miami’s magical march move one step closer to the NBA Finals. Read on for our prediction and best bets for Celtics vs Heat Game 3.

Looking for More NBA Playoff Picks?

At Betting News, you can find aggregated NBA picks from several reputable industry sources for every NBA playoff game.

And if you are interested in checking out NBA picks from other sources, there are a number of trustworthy sports handicapping services that we recommend.

One of those sources is Doc’s Sports, which has a great offer going right now.

Doc’s Sports offers a lot of free picks and content, and you can find plenty a prediction there as well. But they also offer $60 worth of premium sports picks free for new premium signups.

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Odds

Spread

• Boston Celtics -4.5 (-106)
• Miami Heat +4.5 (-114)

Over/Under

• Over 214 (-110)
• Under 214 (-110)

Moneyline

• Boston Celtics -180
• Miami Heat +152

Will the Celtics Deliver with Their Backs Against the Wall Again?

At times, the Celtics can look like they could win the NBA Finals in a sweep. That’s how they looked in Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers after falling behind by nine in the first half.

Other times, the Celtics can look like they were fortunate to get beyond the first round.

That is why they are down 2-0 in this series and needing a win in the next two games to be able to play at least one more home game this season.

In Game 1, they were up by a dozen early in the third quarter but ended the quarter down by a dozen.

In Game 2, the Celtics outscored the Heat by a dozen in the third quarter to take an eight-point lead into the final quarter. But in that final quarter, they were outscored by 36-22, with Miami scoring 24 of the game’s final 33 points as they claimed a 111-105 win.

With what this team is capable of at both ends of the spectrum renders a lot of trends moot. But for what it’s worth, Boston is 20-11 SU in games after a loss this season, as well as 26-14 SU as a road favorite.

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Prediction and Best Bets

Prediction for Celtics vs Heat: Celtics to win

Best Bets for Celtics vs Heat: Celtics -4.5 & Celtics team total over 109.5 points

After losing twice at home, the only logical result for the Celtics in Game 3 is a win. At the same time, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Heat won by 15, either. But based on what the Celtics have shown to this point, this is the only result that makes sense.

Best Player Prop Bets for Celtics vs Heat

• Bam Adebayo over 18.5 points

Adebayo had 22 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists in the Heat’s Game 2 win, finishing with 20+ points for the third straight game and the fourth time in five games.

• Jaylen Brown over 23.5 points

A lot of eyes are going to be on Brown tonight after he shot 7 of 23 from the field and scored only 16 points in Game 2.

After finishing the first round with three consecutive 30-point games against the Atlanta Hawks, Brown hasn’t scored more than 25 points since.

The Celtics need him to be better if they don’t want to see their championship dreams end short of at least a return trip to the NBA Finals. And instead of taking a pessimistic outlook, I’m going to back him to put his poor Game 2 behind him and help the Celtics get back into the series.