Can The Heat Recover From Yesterday’s Embarrassing Loss?
No Surprises When Looking At Celtics vs Heat Odds
The Miami Heat will play their second game of a back-to-back after a disappointing loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last night.
The Heat lost to the Grizzlies, 105-96 on their home floor. Now, they’ll take on a much more difficult opponent in the Boston Celtics tonight.
The Celtics are 34-10 on the season and have won four of their last five games, including road wins against Houston and Dallas during their road trip.
They’ll be fresher after playing their last game on January 22.
The Heat have ultimately lost four straight games. After three consecutive losses, the Heat made a deal for Terry Rozier with the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier didn’t even start in his MIami debut and added only nine points on 3-for-11 from the field in 29 minutes off the bench.
He will be a massive piece of this Miami offense in the future. It’ll just take some time for him to get acclimated into the Heat culture.
Therefore, the Celtics are still 6.5-point favorites on the road against the Heat. The total is also currently at 224.5.
Let’s break down the Celtics vs Heat odds for tonight’s exciting NBA matchup.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat
Date, time:
Location: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Celtics vs Heat Odds & Trends
The Boston Celtics are 22-20-2 against the spread this season. While they’re 20-1 at home, the Celtics are just 14-9 on the road. They’ll be on the road for this matchup against the Heat.
Furthermore, Miami has hit the Under in 22 of 44 games this season. One game was refunded due to a push.
On the other hand, the Heat are 19-23-1 against the spread this season. However, they’ve only hit the Over 18 times in 44 games this year. They’re also 12-8 at home, which isn’t entirely bad. But it’s also not terrific.
The Celtics have defeated the Heat in four of their last five games. However, Miami has covered in the previous three matchups as underdogs.
Are The Celtics Championship Bound?
The Boston Celtics have forced other Eastern Conference teams to re-assess their squad. As we approach February, the Celtics are 34-10 and look like the frontrunners in the Eastern Conference.
Jayson Tatum leads the team in scoring and rebounding and has the Celtics in first place in the East. He told the media that he believes this is the best team he’s ever been on.
There’s a difference between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 teams. The Celtics are loaded with their starting five, with a no-look lineup that includes Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
By now, everyone is well acclimated and everyone is super comfortable with each other. You can tell when watching games. The Celtics added high-IQ players, allowing everyone to transition easily to the Celtics’ way.
It’s worked. We’ll see if Tatum can add a Championship ring to his resume this season.
Will Terry Rozier Fit In?
The Miami Heat traded the Charlotte Hornets for Terry Rozier, giving away Kyle Lowry and a draft pick. The Heat wanted a guard who could score at will, which Rozier has done in his career.
In January with the Hornets, Rozier averaged over 22 points per game. However, he only added nine points in 29 minutes for the Heat in his first game in red.
Rozier shot just 3-for-11 from the field but added five assists and four rebounds with two steals. But that kind of stat line wasn’t what the Heat had in mind when they brought him in.
Obviously, it was his first game with a new team in a new system. Some guys fit in easily. For some, it’ll take some time.
It looks like Rozier will have to learn the system on the fly and start to make his shots, or Miami fans won’t be too happy with him.
Miami’s Chemistry Isn’t The Same!
The Miami Heat don’t have what the Boston Celtics have. At least not yet.
The Heat have already battled many injuries and just added a new rotation player, Terry Rozier, to its roster. Therefore, it’s unlikely that the Heat can stick with the Celtics, even at home.
The Celtics have averaged 121.4 points per 100 possessions and have shot an effective field goal percentage of 57.2%. The Celtics have even limited turnovers to 12.6%, which is huge, knowing that the Heat are good at forcing turnovers on the defensive end.
Miami will limit the Celtics on the offensive glass and should keep Boston off the foul line at a reasonable rate. However, the Celtics should still get high-quality looks. As long as they hit them, the offense will be fine.
Meanwhile, Boston’s defense ranks third in points per 100 possessions. The Celtics have also dominated the defensive glass and have allowed just a 52.8% effective field goal percentage. The only thing the Heat do well is getting to the foul line. However, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA at limiting foul shots.
The Heat could end up winning the turnover battle. They might even get to the foul line more. But the quality of looks from the field will be much more significant for the Celtics. They’ll assist on more buckets and be in more rhythm offensively.
The NBA starting lineups will start to look different by the NBA Trade Deadline. The Heat have already used many. That’s why we’re on the Celtics for our NBA free picks. You can bet online with the Celtics vs Heat odds and back the Celtics at -6.5.
Celtics vs Heat Odds
For NBA betting news, NBA odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
