Celtics vs. Heat Game 4 Preview, Odds, Lines, Prediction, Picks

The Miami Heat have a chance to sweep the Boston Celtics in the East Conference Finals and create something that no team did in the past – to reach the NBA Finals from the play-in tournament. Erik Spoelstra and his boys are killing the Cs, who were the top favorites for winning the NBA title for the major part of the season. Previously, the Heat have eliminated the other top contender, the Milwaukee Bucks. No team has ever lost a 3-0 lead, and the Heat intend to keep it that way. As for the Cs, we can’t really say what has happened to them, but it was obvious against the 76ers that they have certain struggles.

• Celtics Odds +110
• Heat Odds -130
• Spread Heat -2
• Over/Under 215

Preview

Boston Celtics (+110) is the underdog in the series for the first time. In all three losses, they were the favorites, even before Game 3, which took place in Miami. It seems that the bookies believed that the team from Boston had to wake up at some point. But it turned out that the Heat is calling the shots in this series, not the Cs. 

Game 3 and a 128-102 loss showed all the problems Celtics deal with, starting with the fact that Joe Mazzulla isn’t the caliber to win the championship. He took all the blame after the game and stated that he didn’t prepare the team well. 

Al Horford was once again smashed in the direct encounter with Bam Adebayo, while the Cs backcourt lost another battle with the Heat guards. Tatum was the top scorer with 14 points, while Brown, Pritchard, and Grant Williams had 12 each.

Miami Heat (-130) shot 56.8% from the field, hitting 19 threes in 35 attempts. With such percentages, it’s normal to win, even though they had 22 boards fewer than the rivals. Gabe Vincent scored 29 points in 35 minutes, hitting six threes in nine attempts. 

Duncan Robinson appeared from nowhere again to score 22 buckets and five threes, and the sharpshooting forward is back in the rotation after a long period during which he didn’t have such a prominent role and a notable contribution. 

Caleb Martin added 18 points, Adebayo 13, while Jimmy Butler had 16 with eight boards and six assists. He also took time to mock the Celtics, who tried to provoke him in the opening two games in Boston. Back then, Jimmy B stayed cool and afterward took his time to have the last laugh. 

Head-to-Head Games

The Boston Celtics had the home-court advantage, which disappeared in the opening game of the series, 123-116. The same happened in Game 2, 111-105, and the most recent meeting, at the Miami Dade Arena, saw the Heat winning big against the rivals, 128-102.

Prediction

This is a unique chance for the Heat to win the series in four and boost the morale before the Finals. It is also an opportunity for them to rest well and prepare for the finals, especially if the Nuggets have to play Game 5 against the Lakers. The spread on Miami is two points, and we will go with them covering that margin. After seeing them dismantle the Cs in the past three events, this would be normal.

Pick: Miami Heat -110