Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/17/2023

Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Venue:  TD Garden, Boston, MA

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Heat +7.5, Celtics -7.5; Over/Under:  210 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Heat +7.5, Celtics -7.5; Over/Under:  210 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Heat +7.5, Celtics -7.5; Over/Under:  210 points

Miami Heat:  44-38 (1st place, Southeast Division)

Boston Celtics:  57-25 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Amedeus Mastrangelo is on a HOT STREAK in the NBA on a MASSIVE 15-6-1 NBA RUN! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Miami Heat:  7-3 last 10

Boston Celtics:  6-4 last 10

The Heat finished the regular season with a 44-38 record overall and they were 17-24 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a win against the New York Knicks in their last game. Jimmy Butler led the team in points in that game with 24 while Bam Adebayo was next on the team with 23 points. Kyle Lowry led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Bam Adebayo led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 40.2% from the field, 25.9% from 3-point range, and 92% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 109.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 109.8 PPG against them. The Heat have an ATS record of 39-53-3 this season and their O/U record is 49-46.

The Celtics finished the regular season with a 57-25 record overall and they were 32-9 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with both wins coming against the Philadelphia 76ers in their last 2 games. In game 7 of that series, Jayson Tatum led the team in points in that game with 51 while Jaylen Brown was next on the team with 25 points. Jayson Tatum led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Jayson Tatum led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 47.1% from the field, 45.5% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 111.4 PPG against them. The Celtics have an ATS record of 54-41 this season and their O/U record is 50-43-2.

The current betting odds have the Heat listed as a 7.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 1 of a 7-game series between the 2nd seeded Celtics and the 8th seeded Heat for the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA playoffs. The Heat are entering this game after winning their series against the Knicks in 6 games while the Celtics are entering this game after winning their series against the 76ers in 7 games. The Celtics looked really good on their home court in game 7 to eliminate the 76ers as they came out strong right from the start and ended that game very quickly. They are not going to have it so easy against these giant killers though as the Heat have already eliminated the number 1 seed in the East who were also the number 1 seed in the entire NBA and they did it in 5 games so they are not going to be intimidated by the Celtics. The Celtics looked great in game 7 but they have been a very up and down team in these playoffs as they have looked really bad in some of their other games and they have played a lot more games too as they needed 7 games to beat the 76ers and even needed 6 games to end their series against the Hawks in the 1st round. The Heat have been rolling lately and not just in these playoffs, they were also one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the 2nd half of the season and they are playing at their best right now. The Heat are strong enough to pull off the upset win in this game but even if they don't, they will keep this game really close. The best way to place a bet here is on the Heat to cover the spread in this game.

Heat Celtics Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Wednesday, May 17, 2023 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Heat 111 Celtics 104.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Miami Heat Boston Celtics prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NBA predictions and previews.

Miami Heat: 11-20 ATS off a home win. 18-26 ATS when the total is 210 to 219.5. 15-6 UNDER in a road game where the total is 210 to 219.5. 20-12 UNDER after scoring 105 points or less. 

Boston Celtics: 24-10 ATS off a home win. 38-18 ATS off 2 consecutive wins against division rivals. 32-18 UNDER off a win by 20 points or more over a division rival. 27-13 UNDER when playing with 2 days rest.

Miami Heat:  V. Oladipo (SG) out for season - Knee. T. Herro (SG) Early June - Hand.

Boston Celtics:  D. Gallinari (SF) out for season - Knee.

“It is really frickin' hard to get to the Eastern Conference finals.” - Erik Spoelstra after his team’s win against the Knicks in their game on Friday which ended the series 4-2, game 6 of that series.

“You always come into a series with the expectation of how it’s supposed to go. That’s not how the playoffs are.” - Joe Mazzulla after his team’s win against the 76ers in their game on Sunday which ended the series 4-3, game 7 of that series.

PG Gabe Vincent

SG Max Strus

SF Jimmy Butler

PF Kevin Love

C Bam Adebayo

PG Marcus Smart

SG Derrick White

SF Jaylen Brown

PF Jayson Tatum

C Al Horford

PPG: J. Butler (22.9)

APG: J. Butler (5.3)

Reb/G: B. Adebayo (9.2)

PPG: J. Tatum (30.1)

APG: M. Smart (6.3)

Reb/G: J. Tatum (8.8)

Coaches:

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra (15th season)

Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla (1st season)