The Miami Heat are home favorites at the sportsbooks for Saturday night as they play host to the Boston Celtics in the seventh and deciding game of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals.
The Heat forced Saturday's contest with a 98-79 victory in Boston in Game 6 of the series on Thursday night. LeBron James exploded for 45 points and grabbed 15 boards for the Heat in that win.
The Heat currently sports a record of 46-20, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 32-34 ATS. The Celtics are 39-27 and 34-31-1 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Heat post a 25-39-2 OVER/UNDER record this season, while the Celtics have gone 29-37 against the number.
View Boston vs Miami Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Miami opened as 7.5-point favorites for Game 7 at Sportsbook, while the NBA total was set at 180 for those who prefer OVER/UNDER betting at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 5 (Heat) and the No. 17 (Celtics) teams in the league, according to our current NBA Power Rankings at Odds Shark. A 99-96 result in favor of the Heat is predicted by handicapping models.
How They Match Up:
In rebounding, the battle of the boards features Miami's No. 21-rated squad against Boston's No. 30-rated roster. When it comes to long-range shooting, Miami rates No. 20 in the league with 5.6 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 22 with 5.5 per outing.
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.
Last time out for Miami, they were a 98-79 Sportsbook as they battled the Celtics on the road. The Heat covered in the match as a 2-point favorite, while 177 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Boston was victimized by LeBron James for 45 points as the Heat defeated the Celtics 98-79 in NBA action on Thursday.
Boston Celtics Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
After playing Miami are 5-5
After a loss are 9-1
Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
After playing Boston are 4-6
After a win are 7-3
A few Celtics at Heat trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 8 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Miami's last 8 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games
Miami is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing Boston
