Miami vs Boston: Best Bets and Player Props for Game 2
The Boston Celtics will look to take a 2-0 advantage in their first round matchup with the Miami Heat. Boston swept the regular season series and took game 1 with a final score of 114-94.
Miami will be without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier once again. The Heat are 13-10 (0-2 vs Boston) in games played without Butler this season.
Boston opened as a 15.5-point favorite, but early action has moved the line to -14.5. Early action has also moved the total off of the opening number of 206.5, down to 203.5. Here is a look at the current odds for game 2:
Best Bet: Over 203.5
Our best bet for game 2 of Heat vs Celtics is the total over 203.5. With this number trending downward, it is now in a spot where we think it is a must-play.
Miami and Boston have played 27 of their last 30 games (including the playoffs) over this number, and both teams have been over machines over the past few weeks.
The total has gone over in 11 of Boston's last 15 games, and 10 of Miami's last 13 games. Boston shot the lights out in game 1, but Miami's zone really slowed the pace of the game. We think Boston's shooting will come back to earth tonight, but expect to see much less of Spoelstra's ineffective zone defense.
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G Payton Pritchard (BOS): Over 7.5 Points
Pritchard has come alive as one of the best all-around backup point guards in the league this season. Averaging 19 PPG on 40% shooting from deep in April due to gaining some extra minutes as the C’s rested starters, that confidence translated into Game 1 where he dropped 8 points, 5 assists, and 4 boards on a +19 performance that propelled Boston to a large lead.
Looking to Game 2, expect the Celtics to get Pritchard some open looks that he never turns away from deep. In four career playoff games against Miami where he plays 20+ minutes, Payton has gone for 18/10/14/8 points off the bench, hitting this “over” in each outing.
G Duncan Robinson (MIA): Over 6.0 PTS
In Game 2s throughout his career, Duncan Robinson has averaged 10.7 points while scoring in double figures in seven of those twelve games. Although Robinson played just fifteen minutes in Game 1, look for Coach Spo to give Duncan more run in this game with nothing to lose as Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier’s absences will be felt on the offensive end once again.
Haywood Highsmith is a better defender than Duncan, but as we saw last game, the Heat will need to go more offensive at times throughout this game for a chance to even the series up. Duncan has only been under this point prop in 6 of 19 career playoff games against Boston.