Injuries are racking up in the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. The latter will be down a key player on both ends.
C's guard Marcus Smart — who's already missed time this series — was ruled out for a pivotal Game 4 due to an ankle sprain. The Celtics brass noted an uptick in swelling, which will ultimately keep Smart sidelined.
Boston, which was a consensus seven-point favorite prior to the news, is down to -6.5 across the board. The total, meanwhile, dropped from 206 to 205, before settling down to 205.5.
The best moneyline price on the favorite at the time of writing is -256 at WynnBET.
BetMGM, Caesars and FanDuel, meanwhile, are all offering the best number on the underdog (+230).
Smart suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Game 3 when he collided with Heat guard Kyle Lowry. The Celtics star exited, but returned shortly thereafter.
He finished with 16 points and seven assists, but Boston fell as five-point chalk, 109-103.
Smart — the first guard to win Defensive Player of the Year since 1996 — also missed Game 1 of the series, along with Al Horford.
The Oklahoma State product turned in a solid 2021-22 regular season, posting career highs in assists (5.9), eFG% (50.1) and defensive win shares (3.7).
Miami has won four of the last five against the spread entering Monday's Game 4, which tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
