The Miami Heat (26-22, 15-9 Home) play host to the Boston Celtics (35-13, 17-8 Away) Tuesday in a matchup that pits stifling defense against sensational offense.
Boston is playing the second of a back-to-back after getting beaten by the Orlando Magic 113-98 at Amway Center yesterday. Jayson Tatum had a standout performance in defeat with 26 points and seven assists.
The Celtics are first in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami won their fourth straight home game on Sunday at FTX Arena, beating the New Orleans Pelicans 100-96. Tyler Herro topped the scoresheet with 26 points. With 18 points and five steals, Jimmy Butler also played a part.
The Heat are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.This is the last meeting of the season between the teams. Miami will be looking to split the season series after coming out on top in only one of the three prior meetings, including a 120-116 overtime victory at TD Garden in December 2022.
Jaylen Brown topped all players in scoring with 37 points and 14 rebounds in the losing effort. Bam Adebayo had 28 points and three assists for the Heat.
The Celts have been led this season by Tatum and Brown, who are averaging 31.0 and 26.9 points per game, respectively. Tatum is third in the NBA in scoring.
Tatum also has grabbed 8.4 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart is dishing 7.2 assists per game. Butler (21.6 ppg), Adebayo (21.4), and Herro (20.8) have been the primary providers for the Heat on offense. Adebayo also has collected 10.1 rebounds per game, ninth-most in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry has tallied 5.4 assists per game. The Celtics rank second in the league in offensive efficiency, while the Heat are fourth in defensive efficiency.
In the last 10 games at FTX Arena, the Celtics are a dominant 8-2. Meanwhile, the Celtics are 7-0 when playing two days in a row this season and 4-0 with a rest disadvantage.
The Heat are 4-1 with a rest advantage.Boston is 9-1 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +8.2 (116.3-108.1). Miami has a 6-4 record over the last 10, scoring 107.2 points per game on average while holding opponents to 104.8 (+2.4 margin).
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Malcolm Brogdon: 20.8 | 14.3 | +6.4
Rebounds per game:
Jayson Tatum: 10.8 | 8.4 | +2.3
Assists per game:
Jayson Tatum: 6.0 | 4.4 | +1.6
HEAT HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Max Strus: 7.8 | 12.6 | -4.8
Rebounds per game:
Jimmy Butler: 3.6 | 6.1 | -2.5
Assists per game:
Kyle Lowry: 2.7 | 5.4 | -2.7
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics (+110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
