Opening Celtics vs Heat Game 3 Odds, Spread & Expected Line Movement

That helped the Heat claw back from a 96-87 deficit just over halfway through the fourth.

Jaylen Brown didn’t do much better, shooting just 1-for-5 in the final frame for two points, finishing 7-for-23 for 16 points, four rebounds and three assists.

For a second straight game, the C’s could not get it done from distance, shooting a brutal 10-for-35 from three, a 28.5% clip. They also turned the ball over 15 times, with Tatum and Brown accounting for eight of them.

Butler And Backup Band Spoil Garden Party

Perhaps the biggest head scratcher so far in this series is head coach Joe Mazzulla’s reluctance to double Jimmy Butler.

While Miami was forcing Tatum into facilitator (he had just two attempts in the fourth quarter), Butler carried the Heat to victory, going 4-for-8 from the floor in the final frame. He finished with 27 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.

— NBA (@NBA) May 20, 2023

After Grant Williams drilled a three over Butler and started yapping, the Heat went to work, ending the game on a 24-9 run, turning a 9-point deficit into a 6-point win. Bam Adebayo was huge, with 22 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.

Miami is now 6-2 in these playoffs in games where they’ve trailed by 10+ points. That’s resilience.

Still without Tyler Herro, there are plenty of Miami role players sizzling the Celtics. In Game 2, Caleb Martin finished with 25 points, while Duncan Robinson added 15 of his own off the bench.

Celtics vs Heat Game 3 Line Movement

Finally, the line resembles a close game, but it’s wild the Celtics are still the betting favorite.

Miami can essentially go for the kill shot here, a win putting them into the rarefied air of a 3-0 lead — a deficit no team in NBA playoff history has ever come back from.

Boston has lost two in a row once in these playoffs, which pushed them to the brink of elimination vs the 76ers. They responded with a 95-86 road win to force a Game 7.

Miami is breaking all thought of normal NBA convention with their play, and I’m not sure if the books are onto it. I’d be shocked if Boston is a 3-point favorite by tip-off — I’d expect that line to shave by at least a half-point, if not all the way down to two.