Play Now
Parlay Pick’em
Play Now
Football Pick’em
Waiver Wire! Hines, Snell, Brown, Kelley and More
Covering the impact of coronavirus on the sports world
The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat match up in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday evening. Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker lead the way for the Celtics, with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo atop the pecking order for the Heat. The Celtics continue to operate without Gordon Hayward (ankle), with Javonte Green (knee) listed as doubtful. Chris Silva (pubic bone) is out for Miami.
This 2020 NBA Playoffs matchups tips at 6:30 p.m. ET from HP Field House in the Orlando bubble. Boston is a 1.5-point favorite in the latest Celtics vs. Heat odds from William Hill. The over-under for total points expected is 211.5. Before making any Heat vs. Celtics picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it’s already returned over $5,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks this season. It entered the week on a blistering 61-33 run on top-rated NBA spread picks, returning almost $2,500 on those picks alone. It’s also a sizzling 11-3 on top-rated picks since the NBA’s restart in July. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Heat. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA odds from William Hill and trends for Heat vs. Celtics:
The Celtics are a tremendous team on both ends of the floor, with Boston’s defense taking the lead in the postseason. The Celtics rank as the best defensive team in the NBA Playoffs by a substantial margin, allowing only 101.9 points per 100 possessions. Boston ranks third among playoff teams in blocked shots, averaging 5.5 per 100 possessions, and the Celtics are No. 1 in the NBA Playoffs 2020 in shooting-efficiency allowed.
Boston’s opponents are shooting just 40.5 percent from the floor and 30.5 percent from 3-point range, both ranking No. 1 in the league during the playoffs, and the Celtics have elite defenders in Marcus Smart and Tatum. Offensively, Boston was No. 4 in offensive rating during the regular season, and the Celtics are also stellar at avoiding turnovers and grabbing offensive rebounds. In the playoffs, Boston is also No. 5 in the league in free-throw rate, putting pressure on the opposition by generating shots at the charity stripe.
Miami has been dominant in the postseason, and Erik Spoelstra’s team is doing it on both ends of the floor. The Heat rank fourth in the league in offensive rating during the playoffs, scoring 1.13 points per possession. Individually, Miami has strong pieces, with Butler averaging 21.8 points, Goran Dragic adding 21.1 points, and Adebayo producing 16.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in the playoffs. Miami is also second in both shooting efficiency and assist rate, with a top-four mark in offensive rebounding.
Defensively, the Heat have also been strong, ranking No. 4 in both defensive rebounding and overall defensive rating, holding opponents to just 1.05 points per possession. Miami also has the rest advantage in this matchup, taking care of the Milwaukee Bucks in short order while the Celtics needed seven grueling games to defeat the Toronto Raptors.
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the total, with Tatum and Dragic both projected to outperform their season-long scoring averages. It also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Heat vs. Celtics? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Heat spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $5,000 on its top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
