Celtics to Cruise to Game 5 Clinching Win vs Heat
The Boston Celtics try to wrap up their first-round series and advance in the NBA playoffs on Wednesday night when they host the Miami Heat for Game 5 at TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics took a 3-1 lead in the series on Monday night when they blew out the Heat on the road 102-88.
The top-seeded Celtics would like to dispatch the Heat as soon as possible to be able to rest up for the next round, where they would face either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Orlando Magic. Boston has had some of the best NBA odds all season long, finishing the regular season with the best record in the league.
Miami’s only win in this series came at TD Garden in Game 2, but it struggled in the two ensuing games in its home arena. The eighth seed in the East must come up with another huge effort if it’s going to get another chance to play the Celtics in Miami.
Heat vs Celtics Game Information
- Game: Heat (1-3) vs Celtics (3-1)
- Date/Time: Wednesday, May 1, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
- Heat vs Celtics Live Stream: NBA Game Pass
The Celtics have an overall 6-1 advantage against the Heat in 2023-24, including a 3-0 sweep of the regular-season series. This is the third straight season these two teams have played in the postseason, with the previous two being in the Eastern Conference finals, with each team winning once.
The Las Vegas NBA odds are heavily favoring the Celtics in Game 5, with Boston giving 14 on a point-spread bet. If you go with the moneyline, you can get the Celtics at -1000 or Miami at +650. The over/under for the contest has been set at 200 points, with -110 odds on each side of the wager.
Heat vs Celtics Odds and Spreads
Heat vs Celtics Betting Trends
- Miami is 8-1 ATS in its last nine games following a straight-up loss.
- Boston is 1-4-1 ATS in its last six games following an ATS win.
- The total has gone over in 11 of the Heat’s last 15 games against an Eastern Conference opponent.
- The total has gone under in four of the Celtics’ last five games played in May.
- Miami is 26-16-2 ATS when playing on the road this season.
Heat Must Score to Stay in Series
The Game 2 win for Miami was amazing because the team was red hot from 3-point range, hitting a franchise playoff record 23 shots from beyond the arc on the way to a 111-101 victory. But since that game, the Heat have averaged 86.0 points in two losses, hitting just 18 of 61 attempts from 3-point range.
“Offensively, we struggled again,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the Game 4 loss on Monday. “We had some decent looks early on, weren’t able to knock those down.”
Miami is without forward Jimmy Butler, but that didn’t matter in the last game it played in Boston. Tyler Herro led the way in that contest with 24 points, but hasn’t been able to find the shooting touch he had in the last two contests.
Another key to that victory, rookie forward Jaime Jacquez Jr., left Game 4 in the second half with leg tightness. His status for Game 5 is unknown.
It’s going to be a very difficult task to win and extend the series against a Celtics team that seems awake now after the surprising Game 2 setback. The Heat must be playing together on both ends of the floor and avoid momentum-changing plays like Game 4’s late-game flagrant foul on center Bam Adebayo.
After a foul stopped play, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum tried to shoot a 3-pointer with the clock stopped that Adebayo tried to stop him from taking. Tatum landed on Adebayo’s feet, causing him to fall to the floor, which drew a flagrant foul call on Adebayo. The Heat had cut the Celtics’ huge lead down to 13 when the incident happened with 5:04 to play, and the game was never that close again.
“We’re going into the lion’s den,” Adebayo said. “Everybody knows what’s at stake. It’s 3-1.”
Celtics Suffer Loss Despite Game 4 Win
If there’s any good example of why the Celtics want to wrap up this series with a win in Game 5, it’s the loss of center Kristaps Porzingis in Game 4 to a right calf injury. Heavily favored Boston wants to avoid any more injury exposure that could come from an extended series, having already seen one of its starters sidelined possibly until the second round.
Porzingis left the arena in a walking boot following Game 4 after grabbing at his leg a couple of times during first-half play before asking out and going straight to the locker room. His status for Game 5 and going forward is still unknown.
The Celtics got a huge performance from guard Derrick White in taking Game 4. He scored a career-high 38 points, including hitting eight 3-pointers. His offensive outburst helped offset Porzingis’ loss and slightly off nights from Tatum (20 points) and Jaylen Brown (17).
“I made a couple shots early,” White said after the win. “That always helps. Once you make a couple, the basket looks huge.”
‼️ #CelticsWin pic.twitter.com/N459CLGGFF
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 30, 2024
Tatum also had 10 rebounds as the Celtics built as much as a 28-point lead in the second half before Miami’s mini-rally in the fourth. The dominant win should have boosted the team’s confidence sky high for Game 5, but the loss of Porzingis was on everyone’s mind afterward.
“Worried,” Celtics center Al Horford said about his thoughts on Porzingis. “Just concerned. Definitely concerning for me. He’s in good spirits, but we don’t know what it’s going to be. I’m just hoping that it’s nothing serious and he can get back to us quick.”
Celtics Finish Job, Advance
The Heat had their moment with their hot shooting in Game 2, but this series has been a mismatch from the start, and that will continue in Game 5. Boston is more focused than ever to get past Miami and continue its quest for a return to the NBA Finals appearance.
There just isn’t enough offense to keep the Heat in Game 5 for very long. Our NBA picks are that the Celtics will pour it on in this one, covering the 14-point spread in a series-clinching victory
Questions of the Day
Who won the regular-season series between the Heat and Celtics?
Boston won all three regular-season matchups between these teams.
