Miami Heat (63-34) vs Boston Celtics (61-36)
Game Info: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at 8:30 pm (FTX Arena)
Betting Odds: Miami Heat +1.5 -- Over/Under: 203.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat collide in a pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the FTX Arena on Wednesday night.
The Boston Celtics will be looking to take their first lead in this series after blowing past the Heat in a 102-82 win in Game 4 on Monday. Jayson Tatum led the team with 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Derrick White tallied 13 points with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals while Payton Pritchard chipped in with 14 points on five of eight shooting off the bench. As a team, the Celtics shot just 39 percent from the field and eight of 34 from the 3-point line, but this win was all about their defense, particularly in the first quarter where they held the Heat to just 11 points to take the early double-digit lead. The Celtics did all of their damage right at the start of the game as they opened with a ferocious 26-4 run and kept the double-digit margin right till the end. Jaylen Brown struggled in this one as he scored just 12 points on five of 20 shooting while Grant Williams scored just seven points on one of eight shooting off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat looked like they had all the momentum following their big win in Game 3, but they are now looking to reclaim the lead after getting routed by the Celtics in Game 4. Victor Oladipo led the team in scoring with 23 points and six assists off the bench, Duncan Robinson added 14 points while Caleb Martin chipped in with 12 points, but those players were only getting extended minutes because the Heat were getting next to nothing from their starters. As a team, the Heat shot just 33 percent from the field and 14 of 36 from the 3-point line as they suffered their worst start to a playoff game in a franchise history and never found any offense until the fourth quarter. Jimmy Butler scored just six points on three of 14 shooting, Kyle Lowry scored just three points on one of six shooting while Max Strus finished scoreless on zero of seven shooting.
Looking at the betting trends, the Celtics are 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 road games, 35-16-2 ATS in their last 53 games against a team with a winning record and 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 games overall. The Heat are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games, 19-9 ATS in their last 28 games as an underdog and 15-7 ATS in their last 22 games overall.
Head to head, the over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Miami and the over is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings overall.
The Celtics were able to wrestle back momentum in the series with a crucial win in Game 4 and they won easily despite Brown and Williams shooting a combined six of 28 from the field. The Heat will be so disappointed that they let a horror start ruin their night, so they will surely come out swinging in what is their biggest game of the season. The Celtics were able to get off to an early lead in Game 4 thanks largely to White who provided a real spark, so it’s up to the Heat’s role players to step up like that at home, especially players like Lowry and Strus. I expect another big game from the Celtics’ Tatum, but I think the difference will be the Heat getting off to a better start thanks to better production from their role players. Neither team has been able to win two games in a row so far and I think that trend continues here as the Heat get the much-needed win at home.