Free NBA Picks Today: Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat 12/2/22

The Miami Heat (10-12, 2-8 Away) will try to slow down the NBA’s top scoring team when they travel to face the Boston Celtics (18-4, 11-1 Home) on Friday. The teams will be playing their second straight game against each other. Boston beat Miami 134-121 at TD Garden on Wednesday, their fifth win in a row and their third straight head-to-head.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 49 points and 11 rebounds. Max Strus had 23 points in defeat. The Heat are 10th in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are 1.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks atop the Eastern Conference, currently sitting in first. Boston is unbeaten in the season series against Miami, getting the win in both of their meetings.

The Heat have been led this season by Bam Adebayo, who is averaging 20.7 points per game, best in the NBA. Adebayo also has grabbed 9.3 rebounds per game, most in the league. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry is dishing 6.1 assists. Tatum (31.6 ppg) has powered the Celts’ offense. He has the top scoring average in the league.

Tatum also has pulled down 7.8 rebounds per game, most in the league. Marcus Smart has recorded 7.6 assists per game. With 121.9 points per game, the Celtics are the highest-scoring offense in the NBA. The teams have split their last 10 clashes at TD Garden (5-5). Boston has won 10 straight at home this season.

Miami is 5-5 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -1.5 (109.3-110.8). Boston has a 9-1 record over the last 10, scoring 124.4 points per game on average while allowing 112.4 (+12.0 margin).

HEAT HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Caleb Martin: 25.8 | 18.6 | +7.2
Gabe Vincent: 9.0 | 14.8 | -5.8
Points per game:
Caleb Martin: 16.4 | 11.3 | +5.1
Rebounds per game:
Caleb Martin: 6.8 | 5.2 | +1.6
Assists per game:
Tyler Herro: 8.0 | 4.1 | +3.9