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This Heat vs. Celtics NBA Playoffs prediction is courtesy of Pregame.com. Visit them here for more free picks and game analyses.
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The Boston Celtics host the Miami Heat tonight in Game 5 of their 1st Round playoff series. The Celtics can eliminate the Heat with a win tonight, so both teams will be playing with maximum effort. The Celtics are 6 point favorites, with a total of 188 points expected tonight. NBA-TV will televise the game at 7:00 EDT.
Boston missed out on an opportunity in Game 4 to sweep Miami. Boston will look to close the Heat out tonight and advance to the 2nd Round. Obviously the Celtics would like to have some time off, as they are an older team and rest would serve them well. 4 of the 5 starters scored at least 15 PTS in Game 4, yet they had no answer for Dwyane Wade and his 46 PTS. After holding the Heat to only 76.5 PPG in the 1st two games, the Heat have averaged 99.5 PPG in the last two. Boston will look to improve their defense tonight, particularly against Wade. The Celtics are 53-33 SU and 36-48-2 ATS overall this season. Boston is 26-17 SU at home this season, yet only 14-28-1 ATS. The Celtics have lacked the killer instinct needed for them to cover favorite spreads at home. They will need that killer instinct tonight, as Wade and the Heat won't go quietly. The Celtics are 3-6 ATS as a home favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season. F Paul Pierce is leading the Celtics this postseason, averaging a team high 19.3 PPG.
The Celtics are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite. The Over is 6-1 in the Celtics last 7 home games. Point Guard Rajon Rondo is listed as Probable with a banged up finger.
Miami refuses to give up on their season, and G Dwyane Wade is leading the charge. Wade made nearly everything in Game 4, and every basket was needed as the Heat won 101-92 despite Wade's heroics. Miami will again look to push the pace tonight, as they don't want to get into a half court game with Boston. F Michael Beasley is the only other Heat player besides Wade averaging more than 12 PPG this series. Beasley is averaging 12.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG this series, while shooting better than 47% from the field in the process. Wade is averaging an amazing 33.8 PPG and 6.5 APG this series. Wade is also shooting an astonishing 60.5% from the field. Wade and Beasley are the only 2 Heat players shooting better than 45% from the field against Boston. Miami is 48-38 SU and 43-42-1 ATS overall this season. The Heat are 23-20 SU and 24-19 ATS in road games this season. The Heat are 4-6 ATS as a road underdog between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season.
The Heat are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 5-1 in their last 6 games against a team with a winning record. Guard Quentin Richardson is listed as Probable with an injured hand.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 91-86 in favor of the Boston Celtics. The Under 188 is the Total of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
