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- What: NBA Playoffs first round Game 3
- Who: Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
- When: Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida
- How to watch: TNT and NBC Sports Boston
It has been an incredible series between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat thus far in the NBA postseason. After Boston cruised to a Game 1 victory, the Heat were able to shock everyone by taking down the Celtics in Game 2. Now, things are headed to Miami and Boston is hoping to get things back on track. Having said all of that, the Celtics are slight favorites over the Heat in a huge Game 3 showdown. Who will come out on top?
With the way Boston was able to dominate in Game 1, a lot of people thought the Celtics would go on to sweep the series. Instead, though, Miami showed an incredible amount of heart in Game 2 and they shocked a lot of people by coming out on top. Now, Miami will have another upset in mind and the fact that this game will be played at the Kaseya Center is going to help them out in a big way.
| Celtics vs Heat Game 3 odds |  |  |  |
| Celtics to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Heat to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over 186 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 186 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
While the home-court advantage could be big for the Heat, don’t forget for a second that Boston posted an incredible road record during the regular season. There’s a reason Boston is the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference – time and time again, they’ve looked like the best team in the league. Despite a bit of a setback, they have a chance to make a major statement on Saturday night over in Miami.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Celtics hold -110 NBA playoffs betting odds to come out on top. Meanwhile for the Heat, they’re the underdogs at +125 despite being the home team. While we think Miami has what it takes to make this showdown an interesting one, we think Boston should be able to take care of business. With that said, we’re going with the Celtics as our pick.
Time to adjust and get ready for Game 3. pic.twitter.com/aQNRGlmeL9
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 25, 2024
Will the Celtics and Heat series go over five games?
As we mentioned above, a lot of people thought Boston would be able to post a 4-0 sweep. However, with Miami winning Game 2, will the Celtics and Heat series go over five games? That’s a question that a lot of people have on their minds, as it’s up in the air if the Heat will be able to post another win in the series. While Miami might have a little bit of confidence right now, it’s key to remember that Boston is still, on paper, the much better team.
From our chair, it would not be a surprise to see Boston win the next three games in the series to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Boston has an NBA title on their mind and they have what it takes to bring home yet another championship. In order for that to happen, they’ll need to remind everyone of how dominant they can be on both ends of the floor. That will need to start on Saturday in primetime.
focus forward ➡️ pic.twitter.com/m7bO8HEoCn
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 25, 2024
“It’s unfortunate that losing a game is adversity,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “It’s just the nature of the playoffs. To think that you’re not going to have ups and downs throughout a run, you’re not being realistic. “We just have to go back and look at what we did well and what we didn’t and figure out the areas that we can improve on.”
Per the oddsmakers, the over/under for this series has been set at five games. Both hold -110 NBA betting odds. This prop bet really could go either way, especially with the next two games taking place in Miami. While the Heat fans are going to try and rattle Boston over the next few contests, we think Boston won’t let it impact them in a negative way. It will be interesting to see how things will shape out, but we think this series will end after the fifth game.
Boston remains the favorite to win the NBA Finals
While we have seen some other great teams thus far in the postseason, keep in mind that Boston remains the favorite to win the NBA Finals this season. As things stand, Boston holds the top NBA Finals betting odds, as they’re set at +120. The Denver Nuggets, hoping to take care of business against the LA Lakers, are right behind them at +280. Should these two teams meet in the Finals, it would be a thrilling series, no doubt about that.
With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing at such a high level this season, people in Massachusetts have a strong feeling that Boston will capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy. That’s easier said than done, but not many people will be surprised if the Celtics can make this happen. First, they’ll need to take care of Miami in the current series, but again, look for Boston to get back to their elite form and move on to the next round.
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