Heat Headed For A Bounce-Back vs Boston

The Miami Heat have lost two games in a playoff series for the first time during their NBA postseason run, but at least they can pinpoint what the main problem has been as they prepare to face Boston in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final Sunday. Miami has shot a combined 19-for-80 from 3-point range in their two series losses, including a 7-for-36 effort in Game 5.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Boston opened at -3.5, but you can find the line as low as -3 at select sportsbooks. The O/U of 214.5 has dropped to 214 just about everywhere, though you can find a stray 213.5.

Boston News & Notes

What do you do when you trail by double digits and your season is on the line? You ratchet up the offense – and the Celtics did just that, piling up 70 second-half points to earn the win and the cover while pushing the final score well above the total. Boston was nearly flawless from the free-throw line, connecting on 25 of their 29 attempts in the victory.

With 12 of those makes coming from Jayson Tatum en route to a 31-point night, there should be plenty of interest in the OVER on his Game 6 point total of 26.5. Tatum didn't shoot well from the field – going just 8-for-22 – he still found a way to victimize the Heat defense and has now scored 59 points over his last six quarters dating back to the second half of Game 4.

Miami News & Notes

The Heat had plenty of blame to go around after their ugly Game 5 performance – but big man Bam Adebayo took the brunt of it in post-game interviews, suggesting that he missed a lot of shots he should have made. Adebayo finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, his worst showing of the series; if you fancy a bounce-back, his Game 6 point prop is set at 16.5.

You certainly can't blame Adebayo for the Heat's ongoing 3-point struggles, which have now become a significant cause for concern. Miami is shooting below 25 percent from long range over the past 13 quarters; Jae Crowder has been the worst offender on the team, shooting 26.2 percent on 8.4 attempts per game. He's also 6-for-33 from deep over the past four games.

Betting Pick: Miami +3 (-110)

The Heat have fared well in the series despite struggling with their long-range shot, and are better than they showed during their third-quarter meltdown in Game 5. It'll be close, but we like the Heat to cover.