NBA Eastern Conference Finals Celtics vs. Heat Game 3 Betting Preview

Game 3 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics takes place Saturday evening, as the series is tied up at 1-1 with the Celtics blowing the Heat on Thursday.

With the series heading back to Boston, the Celtics are favored by a -6.5 spread to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Boston Celtics Game 3 Betting Outlook

Jayson Tatum showed out in Game 2, as he put up 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go along with five rebounds and five assists. 

Marcus Smart also proved to be the difference-maker that the Celtics so desperately missed in Game 1, as he finished with 24 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds and three steals. 

Smart guarded Jimmy Butler for nearly seven minutes of game time and although Butler shot 4-of-5 on him, Smart prevented him from taking more shots and having him go off for another 40 piece, which Butler has been accustomed to doing in the playoffs lately.

Jaylen Brown also stepped up in his role, providing 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and three assists.

Grant Williams also played an important role for the Celtics, as he scored 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting off the bench. Him taking on Robert Williams’ minutes also allowed the Celtics to play small, which matches up with the Heat’s pace very well.

With Al Horford also now healthy enough to at least play, the Celtics are back to full strength and having the go-to scorers, good shooting and elite defenders to make them arguably the most dangerous team left in these playoffs.

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Miami Heat Game 3 Betting Outlook

Jimmy Butler still did his thing in Game 3, as he had 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting.

However, the Heat struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball and didn’t get enough production out of their role players when it came to scoring the ball.

Bam Adebayo struggled to be a difference-maker on either side of the ball, as he’s usually tasked with scoring inside the paint and tearing up interior defenses and also being able to guard all positions on the other side of the ball.

To make matters worse for the Heat in this one, they have P.J. Tucker, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent all questionable for Game 3, as well as Kyle Lowry, who hasn’t suited up in this series yet.

The Heat could potentially head into this game more depleted than they already are.

Assuming at least one of those guys aren’t good to go, they will likely have to utilize Duncan Robinson in this game, who can get hot from three but is a defensive liability. 

Celtics Win

With a pumped up TD Garden and the Celtics looking healthy, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to run the Heat out of the building in this one.

The Celtics are playing team basketball and if Tucker is unable to go, that will allow Tatum to go off even further.

Expect the Celtics to win and cover the spread.