Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat Game 3 Preview, Lines, Odds, Predictions, Picks (May 21)

The Miami Heat return home with a 2-0 lead against the Boston Celtics, and have a chance to solve this series in Florida. It is a major surprise to see this result after a couple of contests at the TD Garden, and something just a few expected. Jimmy Butler is psychologically harassing the Boston team, taking all the heat on himself and allowing his teammates to hurt the rivals from the shadows. There aren’t too many options for the Celtics in the upcoming two games, and Joe Mazzulla’s crew needs to throw everything they have on Miami. Otherwise, the season is done.

• Celtics Odds -155
• Heat Odds +180
• Spread Celtics -3
• Over/Under 214

Preview

Boston Celtics (-155) are again the solid favorites before the tip-off, and it appears that the bookies believe in the Cs despite all their problems and struggles. And that’s their legit right, regardless of what we think. And to be honest, we completely disagree with their assessment. 

Jayson Tatum was very good again, scoring 34 points and playing with all of his power throughout the entire event. Tatum had 13 boards and eight assists, though his three-point shooting wasn’t that good, 3-for-10. Jaylen Brown was the one who didn’t have a good night, 1-for-7 for three, 7-for-23 from the field for only 16 buckets. Also, his defensive effort was way below the expected. 

Robert Williams collected 13 points without a miss from the field, Malcolm Brogdon added 13 off the bench and Derrick White scored 11. Al Horford can’t find his rhythm in this series, and in Game 2, the veteran center made only one shot for two, and had four boards.

Miami Heat (+180) showcased an example of true teamwork. This crew set the bar way up high for all the other rivals in this area, and we can now say without any hesitations that Erik Spoelstra has the potential to be among the greatest ever head coaches in this sport.

Each time another player explodes. Jimmy Butler is the constant, and he had 27 in Game 2 with eight boards, six assists, three steals, and two blocks, plus a charge he drew on Tatum in the key moments. We won’t mention all the mental damage inflicted on the Cs.

Caleb Martin was incredible with 25 buckets, coming off the bench and hitting 11 of his 16 shots. Duncan Robinson finally appeared, scoring 15 points, while Bam Adebayo again came out as the winner from his clash with Horford – 22 points, 17 boards, and nine assists. 

Head to Head Games

The first game concluded 123-116 for the guest from Florida, and Game 2 saw their 111-105 victory. During the regular part of the year, we saw both units winning two events apiece, one on the road each, respectively.

Predictions

The Heat plays above all expectations, but we aren’t that surprised. Many are shocked and appalled after 2-0, yet all forgot how great of a head coach Spoelstra is. Miami’s games in Florida are usually defensive-oriented, and both vs. Cs at the Miami-Dade Arena saw Under. The current line for the total number of points is 214, which is clear Under from our perspective.

Pick: Under 214 points -110