Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Playoff Series between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics is set for Wednesday night. Most believed that this series would end after just four games, but the Celtics are currently holding a 3-1 series lead.
Miami had to work extremely hard just to get into the Eastern Conference Playoffs, but they always play well in the postseason. The Heat stunned the Celtics in Game 2 of the series, but were recently blown out in their two home games.
Boston is a big favorite to win the Eastern Conference this season, and that’s true about the NBA Finals as well. The Celtics want to end this series as early as possible in order to give themselves some rest before the next round.
The Boston Celtics are big betting favorites in Game 5 as the betting spread is set at 14.5 points.
Heat Must Make Shots
The Miami Heat set a franchise record for made three-pointers in the only game that they managed to win in this series. Miami is going to have to shoot just as good in this game, but it’s not going to be easy to do on the road.
Bam Adebayo is leading the team with 22.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in this series, but interior scoring won’t win this game for Miami. The Heat will be looking to take a ton of shots from deep, and they will also try to play physical on defense.
Miami is still playing without Jimmy Butler, and that leaves a massive hole on both ends of the floor for this team. The Heat are a team with plenty of playoff experience, but they are facing a tall task in this one.
Celtics Lose Porzingis
The Boston Celtics will be playing without Kristaps Porzingis on Wednesday night, and that is a big blow. Porzingis is the third best scoring option on the team, and he is also someone that helps protect the paint on defense.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have combined for 45 points per game in this series, and Derrick White went off in Game 4. This Celtics team is just so hard to defend, and they have the ability to put points on the board in a hurry.
Defense hasn’t always been there for the Celtics in this series, but they will look to keep the Heat to a low number to set the tone early in this matchup.
Boston Blows Out Miami
The Miami Heat have given the Boston Celtics trouble in recent years, but that’s not going to be the case this time around. Even though Miami was able to steal a game on the road earlier in this series, it’s not happening again.
Losing Porzingis is a huge blow to the Celtics, but this team is still absolutely loaded with talent. Boston can score points in a hurry, and that should allow them to get some separation from the Miami Heat in a hurry in this game.
Bet the Boston Celtics -14.5 as they are going to blow out the Miami Heat to advance to the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs.
