Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Prediction, 5/21/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics

Date: Saturday, May 21, 2022

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Miami (+6)

The Boston Celtics will try to defeat the Miami Heat at TD Garden on Saturday in Game 3 of their series. The series is tied 1-1. Miami is 6-point dogs. The over/under comes in at 208.5.

The Heat walked away from Game 2 with a loss by a score of 127-102. Miami ended having earned a 44.2% field goal percentage (38 of 86) and knocked down 10 of 34 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Heat converted 16 of 22 shots for a percentage of 72.7%. In reference to grabbing boards, they collected 42 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 21 assists for the game in addition to forcing 5 turnovers and getting 4 steals. When talking about defense, Miami allowed their opponent to shoot 51.2% from the field on 43 of 84 shooting. Boston doled out 41 dimes and had 28 steals in this game. Furthermore, Boston grabbed 33 rebounds (8 offensive, 25 defensive) and got 3 rejections. Boston finished the contest at 91.3% from the free throw line by making 21 of 23 tries. They also knocked down 20 out of their 40 attempts from downtown. In relation to fouls, the Heat ended up with 18 while the Celtics recorded 9 fouls.

Jimmy Butler is one guy who was a factor for the contest. Butler finished 61.1% from the field and also totaled 3 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 33 minutes and also snagged 6 rebounds. He scored 29 points on 11 of 18 shooting.

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Miami steps onto the hardwood with a record of 53-29 so far this season. They turn it over 14.6 times per contest and as a unit are committing 20.5 fouls per game. As a team, Miami is pulling in 43.7 rebounds per game and has totaled 2,090 assists so far this year, which is 8th in basketball in terms of passing. The Heat are connecting on 37.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (1,114 of 2,936) and 80.8% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 110.0 points per contest (17th in the league) while hitting 46.7% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Heat are able to force 15.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.6 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 4th in the league in giving up assists with 1,908 conceded this season. The Heat are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.7% (3,078 of 6,886) and they surrender 41.7 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 33.9% on shots from downtown and they rank 4th in the league in PPG allowed (105.6).

In relation to attacking the glass in Game 2, Boston permitted Miami to grab 30 in all (12 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 29.4% from beyond the arc by going 10 out of 34 and ended up going 16 out of 22 from the free throw line (72.7%). The Celtics allowed the Heat to make 38 of 86 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 44.2% for this game. When this game wrapped up, the Celtics ended up shooting 43 for 84 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.2%. In the matter of 3-pointers, Boston converted 20 of 40 tries (50.0%). They were able to bury 21 of the free throw tries for a rate of 91.3%. The Heat committed 14 fouls for the game which got the Celtics to the free throw line for a total of 23 shots. They also coughed up the ball 9 times, while recording 8 steals for the game. The Celtics collected 33 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 41 for this contest.

Marcus Smart was important for the Celtics in this game. He knocked down 8 out of 22 for the matchup giving him a rate of 36.4%, and added 9 rebounds. Smart earned 24 points in his 40 minutes of playing time and totaled 12 dimes for this contest.

Boston has a mark of 51-31 for the year. The Celtics are committing 18.5 personal fouls every game and they go 81.6% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 24.8 times per contest (14th in the NBA) and they turn the ball over 13.6 times per game. Boston has accounted for 9,164 pts this year (111.8 per game) and they grab 46.1 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offense, the Celtics are shooting 46.6% from the floor, which ranks them 15th in the NBA.

The Celtics defensively are ranked 1st in the NBA in points allowed per game with 104.5. They are able to force 13.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.4% from the field (1st in the NBA). The Boston defense surrenders 33.9% on three-point shots (969 of 2,860) and their opponents are knocking down 78.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 21.6 dimes and 43.7 boards on a nightly basis, which is 1st and 12th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Boston (-6)

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