Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics NBA predictions, picks, odds & spreads: Boston can bounce back

The Miami Heat’s incredible 2023 season continued with their upset win over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. They started the 2023 NBA Playoffs as the #8 seed after losing their first game in the play-in tournament against Atlanta, before beating Chicago to squeeze into the field for the first round. They have not looked back since, however, knocking out #1 seed the Milwaukee Bucks in just 5 games before adding #5 seed the New York Knicks to their list of victims. The Heat raised their game once more in the opening game of this season, winning 123-116 on the road.

The Celtics have had a tougher time in the playoffs than some expected and that pattern now looks set to continue in this round. They beating the Hawks in 6 games before a 7-game battle against the 76ers, in which they rallied after trailing 3-2. Let’s take a look at the odds, betting lines and our expert’s predictions for Game 2 on Friday.

You can bet on our Heat vs Celtics predictions with FanDuel Sportsbook, which has the best odds available and a great new customer offer where you can get a No Sweat First Bet up to $1000! Click here to take advantage of this can’t-miss offer.

Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics spread, odds & betting lines

Point spread: Heat +9; Celtics -8.5
Total points over/under: 215.5 points
Money line odds: Heat +335; Celtics -390

All of today’s biggest games are available to bet with BetMGM, the premier destination for online sports betting. New customers can earn themselves a $1,000 deposit bonus by signing up right now! Click here to lock in this great sign-up offer.

Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics expert picks

Heat vs Celtics point spread pick: Celtics -8.5 (-115, BetMGM)

For the third series in a row the Miami Heat have won a road game as they knocked off the Celtics 123-116 on Wednesday. Jimmy Butler once again came up big when it mattered the most, leading all scorers with 35 points and 7 assists. Bam Adebayo chipped in 20, while Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry each had 15 points. In a decisive third quarter Miami outscored Boston 46-25 and there was just no coming back from that for the home team. Now it’s time for the Heat to get greedy and go for another win in Game 2. In the previous 2 rounds they lost Game 2 against both Milwaukee and New York, so it will be interesting to see if history repeats itself.

Boston let down a lot of people in the series opener. In particular Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined to commit 10 turnovers in the loss, negating all the positive things they did on offense with 22 and 30 points. It’s quite astounding that Boston is only 10-10 SU in its last 20 home playoff games. You would think a team of their caliber would be dominant at home, but that simply has not been the case. It will have to happen in Game 2, though as the Celtics cannot afford to go down 2-0 ahead of Games 3 and 4 in Miami.

There’s not much value in backing the Celtics to win outright. What gives me optimism they can cover the spread is the fact that they beat Miami by 13 points at home in the regular season. In a lot of ways this is their biggest game of the season and I expect their approach to be on that level. I’m taking the Celtics to cover.

Be sure to check out our full Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics predictions

Heat vs Celtics over/under total pick: Over 215.5 (-110)

The floodgates opened in Game 1 as both teams shot over 50% from the field with 26 threes made between them. The total of 212.5 points was surpassed with ease, so that’s now 3 straight games between these opponents at TD Garden with more than 230 points scored. For Game 2 the projected total has gone up to 215.5. It’s hard to imagine the teams drastically slowing down the pace after so many high-scoring games between them this season. The over for Boston has now cashed in 9 of the last 12 games, including 5 of 6 at home. The Heat’s O/U record is 9-3 in their last 12, and on the road they have cashed the over in 9 of 10, including 5 of the last 6 at TD Garden. There is a pattern developing and until the series shifts back to Miami I’ll stick with the over.

SuperBook has set the standard in US Sports betting since 1993 and new customers can join right now and get a sign-up bonus up to $250 when you use promo code “Pickswise”! Click here to join the #1 Sportsbook in Vegas.

Pickswise is the home of free NBA picks and NBA predictions. Check out the latest NBA prop bets and NBA parlays as well as NBA Best Bets from our NBA experts.