The Boston Celtics are underdogs on the NBA lines at the sportsbooks for Monday night as they open up the Eastern Conference Finals on the road against the Miami Heat.
The Celtics won Game 7 against the Sixers on Saturday to advance to face LeBron James and company - who dispatched the Pacers in six games in the second round. Boston is 4-0 ATS in its past four games against Miami, since losing in five games to the Heat in last year's playoffs.
Miami will face the 39-27 Celtics, who own a 34-31-1 ATS mark on the season. In totals betting, the Heat are 25-39-2 favoring the UNDER so far this season while the Celtics are 29-37 favoring the OVER.
View Boston vs Miami Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had the Heat installed as 7.5-point favorites in this particular matchup at Sportsbook. The over-under number was listed by most sportsbooks at 177.5, including Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new Power Rankings at Odds Shark, it's the No. 5-rated Heat and the No. 17-rated Celtics in this matchup. Predictive computer formulas point to a 99-96 win for the Heat on Monday.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Miami's No. 7-ranked offense (98.5 PPG) against a Celtics defense that ranks No. 2 at 89.3 PPG. The Heat have averaged 46.9% from the field per game, more than the Celtics have managed so far this season (46% on average).
Defensively, the Celtics feature the league's No. 6-rated defense on the road, allowing 94.3 points per game. Miami, meanwhile, comes in at No. 9 in the league in scoring at home.
In their last action, Boston was an 85-75 Sportsbook at home against the 76ers. They covered the 6-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (160) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Rajon Rondo scored 18 points leading the Celtics to an 85-75 victory over Philadelphia at TD Garden on Saturday.
Last time out for Miami, they were a 105-93 Sportsbook as they battled the Pacers on the road. The Heat covered in the match as a 2.5-point favorite, while 198 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Miami got 41 points from Dwyane Wade en route to a 105-93 victory over Indiana on Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Boston Celtics Trends:
When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing Miami are 5-5
After playing Philadelphia are 6-4
After a win are 4-6
Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Monday are 9-1
Before playing Boston are 9-1
After playing Indiana are 7-3
After a win are 6-4
A few Celtics at Heat trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami
Boston is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games when playing Miami
Boston is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Miami is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Miami's last 23 games at home
Next up:
Boston at Miami, Wednesday, May 30
Miami home to Boston, Wednesday, May 30
