Celtics vs. Heat NBA Betting Odds, Prediction & Trends

The Spread
 

The Boston Celtics head to Miami to face the Heat on Thursday night at 7:30 PM ET on TNT. Can the Heat cover the 6.5-point spread as home underdogs? Keep reading for our Celtics vs. Heat betting prediction.

The Boston Celtics are 34-10 straight up in the regular season this year. They are 22-20-2 ATS this season.

The Miami Heat are 24-20 straight up in the regular season this year. They are 19-24-1 ATS this season.

547 Boston Celtics (-6.5) at 548 Miami Heat (+6.5); o/u 225

7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, January 25, 2024

Kaseya Center, Miami, FL

TV: TNT

Our NBA Public Betting Information page indicates that 73% of public bettors are currently backing the Celtics when it comes to the spread. This information is subject to change throughout the day, however, so be sure to check the link so you’re receiving the most up-to-date public betting data.

Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum was sensational in his team’s 119-110 road win over the Mavericks on Monday night. In that game, the Duke alum recorded 39 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 11 of 21 from the field and 15 of 19 from the charity stripe in the victory.

Boston shooting guard Jaylen Brown also had a good scoring night on Monday. The former #3 overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft racked up 34 points while shooting an efficient 13 of 22 from the floor. He added 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks for good measure.

Miami shooting guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. will sit out Wednesday’s game with a groin injury. The rookie from UCLA is having a nice inaugural season as he’s averaging 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game on the campaign.

Heat power forward Kevin Love left his club’s game on Wednesday due to an illness. He’s officially listed as questionable for Thursday night’s tilt with the Celtics. Love is putting up 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 18.7 minutes per contest this season. 

Boston is 8-11-2 ATS as a road favorite this season.

Boston is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games against Miami.

Miami is 8-4-1 ATS with the rest disadvantage this season.

Miami is 32-29 as an underdog since the start of last season.

This will be the third game of a three-game road trip for the Celtics. Boston won by 9 at Houston on Sunday and won at Dallas by 9 on Monday. They’ll be playing on 2 days of rest against Miami on Thursday. For what it’s worth the Celtics are 13-15-1 ATS when playing on 2 or 3 days of rest since the start of last season. Boston is also 9-12-2 ATS as the road team this season.

Miami will be playing on the second night of a home back-to-back on Thursday. The Heat lost at home to the Grizzlies on Wednesday night, 105-96. It was their fourth straight outright loss in a row. The losing streak can be chalked up to poor three-point shooting. For the season, Miami is shooting 37.7% from distance, which ranks 9th in the league. In 3 of the 4 games the Heat have lost in a row, they shot below 32.5% from three-point range. I think Miami’s shooting normalizes, and they cover the number at home against Boston on Wednesday night.