With the series tied 1-1 and both teams aiming to gain control, the Miami Heat have home-court advantage after stealing Game 2 on the road with a 111-101 victory in their first-round Eastern Conference Play-off series against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics enter Game 3 as heavy favorites on the money line, but the Heat have momentum after their impressive performance in Boston in Game 2.
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Basketball: 2024 NBA Play-offs Game 3
Where to Watch: TNT
Venue: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL.
Date: 28.04.2024 01:00
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat defied expectations in Game 2, overcoming the absence of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier to stun the top-seeded Celtics 111-101. Tyler Herro emerged as the hero, exploding for 24 points and 14 assists while shooting lights out from three (6-of-11). The Heat set a franchise play-off record with 23 three-pointers, with Caleb Martin adding 21 points and five threes himself. Bam Adebayo anchored the interior with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double. Miami has a good record over the Celtics in the play-offs, winning four of the first six meetings, while coach Erik Spoelstra did his resume a lot of good by orchestrating a win reminiscent of last season's final run.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics must find a way to adjust their offensive approach and limit the Heat's three-point barrage. Despite a valiant effort from Jaylen Brown (33 points), the Celtics' offense struggled, particularly their newcomers. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis combined for only 15 points on a poor shooting night. Jayson Tatum's triple-double (23 points, ten rebounds, ten assists) in Game 1 was a bright spot, but their lack of defensive presence and struggles from newcomers like Kristaps Porziņģis were exposed in Game 2. The Eastern Conference's number one seed and the best team in the league in the regular season with 64 victories must navigate a way out of their fifth loss of the season.
Betting Odds
Miami Heat are 4.00 underdogs on the money line with Betway which prices a draw no bet at 3.60 odds. Over 203.5 is 1.8 on 1XBET, which lists the under at 1.952 odds. Bam Adebayo to score 20 points is 1.86 odds on Bet365 with the spread at (-7.5) Boston priced at 1.66 odds. Read more here.
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