Tip off: 8:30 PM EST
Spread: MIA -8
O/U: 177
M/L: MIA -430, BOS +360
Heat lead series 1-0
Bet at Bookmaker, the source of these NBA betting odds
The Heat came out and took decisive control in game one. They outscored Boston 21-11 in the first quarter, but surrendered that lead in the second quarter to be tied at the half. Miami, however, came out strong in the third quarter, again outscoring the Celtics by 11, which turned out to be the decisive difference in the game.
LeBron James turned in another monster effort, hoisting 22 shots and hitting 13, en route to a game high 32 points and 13 rebounds. In addition to that, he also contributed defensively, coming up with 3 blocked shots and a steal. Though he had 3 turnovers to his 3 assists, it is hard to knit pick, and Dwyane Wade came through with a big game as well, going for 22 points and 7 assists, while outside of Wade no other Heat players made big offensive contributions. Shane Battier managed double figures with 10 points, but hit just 2 of 9 from three and the Heat shot only 20% (5 of 25) from distance.
Rajon Rondo once again put together a triple double-like effort, going for a well rounded line of 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. His effort was joined by Kevin Garnett’s 23 point, 10 rebound performance, but the Celts received little from their bench and Paul Pierce managed only 12 points.
Getting more from Pierce may prove to be the difference if Boston is to remain in this game. It’s hard to win when the star player is shooting 5 of 18 from the floor, even if Garnett and Rondo are having big games. Moreover, the injured Ray Allen continues to play at less than full strength, and shot just 1 of 7 after hitting some big threes in Game 7 of the Philadelphia series.
Celtics Betting Trends:
The Celtics are 40-40 ATS this season and 17-22 ATS when the total is between 170 and 179.5. They are 1-5 ATS as an underdog of 6.5 to 9 points and they are 7-13 ATS when the total is between 170 and 179.5 on the road. The total has gone OVER in 35 of the last 79 Celtics games and it has gone OVER In 14 of the last 32 as an underdog. It has gone OVER in 6 of the last 14 in which there were 3 or more consecutive unders.
Heat Betting Trends:
Miami is 40-37 ATS this season and 2-0 ATS when the total is between 170 and 179.5. They are 39-33 ATS as a favorite and 10-5 ATS as a favorite of 6.5 to 9 points. They are 5-1 ATS in the conference finals over the last three seasons and the total has gone UNDER IN 17 of the last 24 games in the Conference finals since 1996. The Total has also gone OVER In 27 of the 40 home games this season.
