Heat vs. Celtics Odds
| Heat Odds | +8.5 |
| Celtics Odds | -8.5 |
| Moneyline | +330 /-420 |
| Over/Under | 201 |
| Time | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ABC |
A win tonight for the Boston Celtics would close out the series and put them one step away from a title. This would also be their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2010.
In the past two games of the series, the Miami Heat shot 33.3% in Game 4, 31.9% in Game 5 and were held under 85 points in both contests. No matter how good they can be on the defensive end, their lack of scoring is not going to cut it. Kyle Lowry and Max Strus have shot a combined 1-for-28 the past two games. Can the Heat dig deep and find an offensive spark?
If the Heat want to stay alive in this series, they need to show the same intensity they did in Games 1 and 3. Jimmy Butler continues to show that perhaps his right knee injury is a bit more serious than he let on as the injury struggles pile up for Miami.
Kyle Lowry has been very slow to get back into the same offensive form, and Tyler Herro's absence has been felt on the offensive end and they have suffered putting up points. Both appear on the injury report as questionable along with Boston Celtic's Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III. Pay attention to these key players and their status closer to game time.
For this single game parlay, we will be focusing solely on the Celtics and not hoping for the Heat to all of a sudden step up their play.
Al Horford Over 8.5 Rebounds (-130)
One player who has noticed a big increase in rebounding performance and defensive impact as a whole is Boston's Al Horford. He's logging big minutes while leading the Celtics in boards per game.
This postseason he is averaging 9.3 rebounds per game, up from the 7.7 in the regular season. He's logged 10 or more boards in four of the last six games while averaging 37.5 minutes played throughout that six game stretch.
It's not only corralling rebounds that Horford has done well, he has held opponents to an effective field-goal percentage of 43.1% during the playoffs, while defending 291 total shot attempts leading the Celtics.
With Miami's shooting woes likely to continue, Horford is a great player to target to once again continue to take advantage of those missed shots. Factor his impact in recent games along with desperation from the Heat and it looks like Horford is primed for another big night especially on the defensive end.
Jaylen Brown Over 23.5 Points (-115)
One player who usually gets out to a quick start is Boston's Jaylen Brown. In the regular season he ranked among the top 10 in first quarter points per game averaging 7.4 points on great shooting numbers. Brown in the first quarter is averaging 52.6 percent shooting from the floor and an incredible 43.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Although we cannot add his first quarter points total to the single game parlay, it may be worth looking at this bet at a nice plus money price of +112 on FanDuel as perhaps worthy of a separate wager. For the single game parlay, we will focus on Brown's success as a whole.
Against the Heat this series, he's gone over this set total in four of five games (although it has been close) including a huge 40 point night in Game 3. He's also found a lot of success from beyond the arc clicking on four or more made 3-point shots in three of five contests. Look for that trend to continue.
Parlay: Al Horford Over 8.5 Rebounds + Jaylen Brown Over 23.5 Points = (+230)
