Eight of the last nine games between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics have been OVER results as those two Eastern Conference teams meet at American Airlines Arena on Friday.
Miami is 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS over its past five games against Boston, but the Celtics managed to pay off on the NBA betting lines in each of the last two games between the teams. The Heat have already clinched the top overall seed in their conference.
The Heat sport records of 62-16 and 43-35 ATS heading into this matchup, while the Celtics sit at 40-38 and 35-40-3 ATS on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 40-38 for the Heat and 39-38-1 for the Celtics. (Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news).
View Boston vs Miami Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 5 (Heat) and the No. 16 (Celtics) teams in the league, according to our current NBA Power Rankings at Odds Shark. A 105-97 result in favor of the Heat is predicted by handicapping models.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Miami's No. 5-ranked offense, averaging 102.8 PPG, against a Celtics defense that ranks No. 10 at 96.5 PPG. The Heat field goal percentage has averaged 49.4% so far, more than the Celtics shooters have achieved on the year, 46.3% per game.
Defensively, the Celtics feature the league's No. 13-rated defense on the road, giving up 99.1 points per game. Miami, meanwhile, comes in at No. 4 in the league in scoring at home.
Last time out for Boston, they were a 101-93 loser as they battled the Nets at home. The Celtics failed to cover in the match as a 3-point favorite, while 194 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. The Celtics got 23 points from Paul Pierce, but it was Brooklyn that prevailed in a 101-93 final on Wednesday at TD Garden.
In their last action, Miami was a 103-98 Sportsbook on the road against the Wizards. They covered the 4-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (201) was profitable news for OVER bettors. The Heat got 23 points from Ray Allen as Miami ran past Washington 103-98 on Wednesday at Verizon Center.
Boston Celtics Trends:
When playing on Friday are 9-1
Before playing Orlando are 6-4
After playing Brooklyn are 8-2
After a loss are 4-6
Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing Chicago are 8-2
After playing Washington are 6-4
After a win are 8-2
A few Celtics at Heat trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Boston's last 10 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston's last 9 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 9 games on the road
Boston is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
Miami is 19-1 SU in its last 20 games at home
Miami is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Miami's last 10 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Miami's last 9 games when playing Boston
Next up:
Boston at Orlando, Saturday, April 13
Miami home to Chicago, Sunday, April 14
