Boston (0-0) at Miami (0-0)
Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 8:30 PM ET – ESPN
FTX Arena, Miami, Florida
NBA Game Vegas Betting Odds
| Spread | Total | Moneyline | ||
 |
Boston Celtics ATS: 52-40-2 |
+2 | O 203.5 | +110 |
 |
Miami Heat ATS: 54-39-1 |
-2 | U 203.5 | -130 |
NBA Betting Record & Stats
| Name | Record | ATS | Offense | Defense | Diff | OU Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 59-35 | 51-41-2 | 111.32 | 104.31 | 7.01 | 46-47-1 |
| Miami | 62-32 | 54-39-1 | 109.77 | 104.64 | 5.13 | 51-42-1 |
Well Rested Miami Heat Look to Take Series Opener Against Boston Celtics
While the heat are favorites to capture the first game of this Eastern Conference Championship Series, the Boston Celtics are dubbed as favorites to represent the conference in the finals of this 2022 NBA season. A big factor for this minor discrepancy is the fact that Boston is coming off an exhausting series against last year’s Champion Milwaukee Bucks and will immediately get back on the court after just one day’s rest.
Meanwhile, the Heat finished off the Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games back on Thursday and will be poised to return to the NBA finals for the second time in three years as they get ready to host the Celtics Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET with the tilt broadcasted by ESPN and live from the FTX Arena in Miami, FLA. Although the Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets in their first stint of the playoffs, they certainly felt they could have disposed of the Bucks much quicker with games they should have easily won against the Bucks.
What the Celtics will face is a different animal in a Heat’s squad that possessed immense depth unlike the Bucks, who were undoubtedly without their best shooter in Khris Middleton for the entire series. The Heat led the league with 40.5 points off their bench this season and that could lead the Heat to put immense pressure on a tired Boston squad which may not keep up even against Miami’s second stringers.
The Heat beat those same Celtics in six games back in 2020 to reach the finals only to lose to the Lakers in the same set of games. They are 7-4 ATS and have been under the total in nine of those eleven games but are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 home games. The Celtics are 8-3 ATS in their 11 playoff games and were unable to reach the over in 7 of their tilts. The Heat enter this opener as a 1.5-point favorite with the total sitting at 203.5 points.
Prediction: Miami covers the spread in Game 1 with the Under prevailing.
