Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics: Another chapter of the Eastern Conference rivalry

The Boston Celtics are hosting the Miami Heat today at TD Garden.

The Heat are at .500 on the road

The Miami Heat are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 9-9 record, including 5-5 on the road. They have won 4 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 119-116 loss to the Toronto Raptors. The Heat are seventh in the league shooting 37.8% from three-point territory and third with 9.3 steals per game. Tyler Herro leads the team with 23.6 points per game.

Can the Celtics defend the title?

The Boston Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference with a 16-4 record, including 7-2 at home. They are coming off a 115-111 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that ended their seven-game winning streak. The Celtics are third in the league shooting 120.7 points per game and take and make the most three-pointers per game. Jayson Tatum leads the team averaging 28.7 points per game.

Betting Trends

The Jazz are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games overall, 3-14 SU in their 17 home games, and 0-6 SU in their last 6 games against teams from the Western Conference. They are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall, 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games played on Saturday and 10-1 ATS in their last 11 home games played on Saturday. Utah has played under the total point line in their last 5 games against the Mavericks, 6 of their last 7 home games against the Mavericks, and 4 of their last games against teams from the Southwest Division. The Mavericks are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games overall, 9-3 SU in their last 12 games against Utah, and 10-3 SU in their last 13 games against teams from the Northwest Division. They are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall, 13-7 ATS in their last 20 games against the Jazz and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against teams from the Western Conference. Dallas has played over the total point line in their last six games overall and 7 of their last 8 games on the road and under in 6 of their last 7 visits to Sal Lake City.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Boston Celtics have another promising season, and they are coming off a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the only team with a better record in the East. One of the teams that was a major problem for the Celtics in recent years was the Miami Heat, who have just an average record so far in the season. The Heat have been struggling with injuries all season long, and as the team is finally completed, they are about to turn up the engines. Boston has won 8 of the last 10 games against Miami and will probably win this one as well, but the spread is too big, so we go with the Heat to cover the +10.5-point spread.