In what was a very active two weeks for the Boston Celtics, they feel like they gone through a storm. Next up, the Heat in Miami, never an easy task. They’ll be the fourth out of the season-high six team that the Heat will host consecutively when the two play on Saturday evening.
Celtics at Heat
Spread: Boston Celtics -1.5 (-106); Miami Heat +1.5 (-103) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 207 (-105)
The Celtics return the favor to the Bucks, win in front of their fans
With three wins in a row, the Celtics are looking more like a playoff team we all thought they would be. After losing their prized free agent signing Hayward to a season-long injury, few are giving them much chance to contend, but the Celtics are showing great resiliency and are the team to be accounted for. The 96-89 win in Milwaukee is a confirmation of it.
While the Hayward’s injury altered expectations, Thursday night showed that the Celtics’ still have plenty of weapons. Did the Celtics glide to an easy win? Not exactly. They trailed most of the third quarter before a pair of Horford’s triples even the score. They were up just 3 points entering the fourth and only separated themselves when the Bucks struggled to score at the beginning of the final period. Still, there were a lot of things to like. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford were both great Thursday night while pushing the Boston Celtics past the Milwaukee Bucks. Irving scored 24 points and had 7 assists, while the Celtics’ big man was unstoppable with 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting and game-high 4 threes. He added 9 boards and 5 dimes for a good measure, while also keeping Bucks star Antetokounmpo mostly in check for three quarters. But it was more than the lethal duo. Marcus Smart returned to the active roster and played well, and the second-round rookie Ojeleye made a big impact during the run by keeping the Greek Freak from scoring during the pivotal run. Brown and Tatum have had better individual stats this season, but made a positive impact here as well.
Whether by defense, athleticism, versatility or grit, these Celtics can shapeshift, and that’s what’s making them dangerous. As the players grow more familiar with each other, they might be a dark horse candidate to make things really interesting in the East.
Place: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Date/Time: Saturday, October 28th, 2017. 8:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: Fox Sports Sun
The Heat helpless against San Antonio without Whiteside
The Miami Heat had a long layoff after the last playing on Wednesday, when they lost 100-117 to the injury-ravaged Spurs (who are still the Spurs). While the Heat were able to overcome Whiteside absence against a lesser team, it proved to be too big of a handicap to cope with the side that historically has their number.
In a game in which neither Whiteside or Kawhi Leonard played, the Spurs beat the Heat both with big bully lineups, and small-ball, but it was when the bigs took a rest that the home team really swooned. First, it was all Aldridge, and predictably, the Heat could very little about him, except send plenty of double teams once the big guy got it going in the first half. A combination of solid shooting from Dragic, Tyler Johnso, and Waiters somewhat mitigated his performance, but the Heat just couldn’t stop the Spurs bal movement and the double-teams caused scrambling in defensive rotations, and too many open shots in the fourth quarter. Basically, the Heat were beat by a precision machine, but having Whiteside guard Aldridge would have changed that. San Antonio and the Heat each finished with 44 points in the paint, but San Antonio held the Heat to 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 9-of-26 (34.6 percent) from three-point range. The Heat never seem to have all the guys playing at high level – at the same time. While Johnson finished with a team-high 23 points after missing in action for the most part of the young season, Richardson flamed out, missed all shots and was generally frustrated by it, and by the foul trouble.
It’s what the Heat is. A solid team that needs better part of their team to work well to win. The Heat have not been very forthcoming with detailed updates about Whiteside’s status, but since team said that they are hopeful to have him back, I believe it’s safe to consider him questionable for this game. Waiters is not practicing due to linger knee issues, but will play.
Boston Celtics at Miami Heat Game Trends & Prediction
The Boston are severely underrated and it had played a big role in their 4-1 score against the spread. What’s even better, is that they’ll like to remain underrated as while the books are adjusting, the Celtics find ways to improve their basketball. Keep an eye on them, and not just for this game. Apart from the winning trend, they have also played a significant number of unders. Four, compared to just one over. Both the over and the ATS loss came on the same game, first one against Milwaukee, when they allowed a season high 108 points.
At the other side of the spectrum, it’s been a terrible season for those who bet on Miami so far. They’ve managed only a single push, all the other games resulted in losing the money of their backers. They come in with a 0-3-1 ATS record, and a 3-1 over/under record. In neither of the games played so far, the Heat managed to outrebound their opponents.
A unique ranking system – AdmiRank helps you understand how good NBA teams are on a scale to 100. Good wins have the Celtics trending up, and they seem as a better team than the Miami Heat, even when healthy. Miami should hover around .500 this season, without significant oscillations.
The odds on this game depend on Whiteside’s availability, so my first advice for you is to make sure that you know his status before placing any bet. He might not be the Heat’s best player, but they are very dependent on him anchoring their defense. Considering that Horford is hot coming in, the same way as Aldridge was, the Heat chances will be significantly improved if he plays.
As you would suspect it from my previous scribbling, I’m aiming at the Boston bet.
My Pick: Boston Celtics -1.5 (-106)
Total: pass
