The Boston Celtics look to close out their series against the Miami Heat with a win when the two teams clash during Game 5 of their best-of-seven first-round series inside the famed TD Garden in Boston, MA. They tip it off at 7:30 pm as the Celtics lead the series, 3-1, and can put the Heat away with a win and move onto the second round of the playoffs.
Bookmaker has installed the Celtics as a heavy - 16.5-point home favorite.
The Celtics have flexed their playoff muscle against the injury-ridden and understaffed Heat. They are coming into this game fresh off a brilliant 102-88 win in Game 4, and they can close out the series at home and get some rest.
Boston has shown they have been the best team all season long in the Eastern Conference from the opening night tip-off, and they also knew a ton of pressure was going to be on them heading into the postseason. With the series knotted up at 1-1, the Celtics have ripped off two straight to take a commanding 3-1 lead, and their combined margin of victory is 17 points over those last two wins.
They got a great effort from Derek White, who erupted for a career-high 38 points and was the best player on the floor for Boston, which also got a solid game from Jayson Tatum, who ended with 20 points on just 5-of-14 shooting. White connected on 15-of-26 and was on fire from the floor all night long. Look for the Celtics to push the pace and tempo early in this one and take the Heat out before the half.
The Heat are in dire straits and have a tough road ahead. The loss of Jimmy Butler before the series began sucked the life and wind out of the Heat, who are missing that solid veteran presence on the floor, and it shows.
Miami needs to get production from its starters, and it needs these guys to have a career night to extend this series. The Heat just look like a beaten-down team, and it has no answers for the Celtics' perimeter game and outside shooters.
They need to stop turning the ball over, and this might be a game where Tyler Herro has to shoot the ball 30-plus times. He has averaged 17.3 in the series but has not really had that breakout game, and that is also because the Celtics have done a great job defending him. The Heat will have to connect on their outside shots because it is too harsh for them to get inside the paint.
The Celtics are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-2 in their previous five games against the spread. They are 19-19 in their road games against the spread too. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games and 22 out of their last 41 games at home. The Heat are 3-2 in their previous five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 24-14 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games.
