NBA Preview: Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat – Monday, Dec. 2, 2024

The Miami Heat (9-9) will face a tough road matchup when they face the Boston Celtics (16-4) on Monday, December 2, at 7:30 PM ET at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Celtics are favored for this upcoming NBA matchup with a point spread at -9.0 (-110).

Miami Heat Betting Preview

The Heat just had their two-game win streak snapped in a 119-116 loss against the Toronto Raptors. They came out flat to start the first quarter, which ended 34-24 in favor of the Raptors and ultimately set the tone for the game.

They did have a terrific fourth-quarter performance of 29-21, but they steadily allowed the Raptors to have too much momentum in the first three quarters to carry them to victory. Tyler Herro led with 31 points, and Bam Adebayo led with 20 rebounds and seven assists.

Their offense put up 44.3 percent of their shots from the field while connecting on 37.5 percent from three. Their defense allowed the Raptors to shoot 53.4 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from deep. As you can see, their offense was not enough to push them over for their weaker defensive stops.

The Heat are averaging 111.0 points a game, which ranks 20th in the league. On defense, they allow opponents to average 109.4 points a game, ranking fifth. This is not a large margin of error, so their offense must step up.

Boston Celtics Betting Preview

The Celtics’ seven-game win streak was ruined by their Eastern Conference rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their recent defeat was a 115-111 battle in which they could not stop Donovan Mitchell, who scored 35 points.

Jayson Tatum led with 33 points and eight rebounds. He also ranks fifth in the league, scoring 28.7 points per game.

Despite slightly less appealing shooting from the field compared to the Cavs, the Celtics did not have that bad of a loss. In fact, they had one bad quarter overall, a 43-27 fourth quarter in which the Cavs took over the game. They cannot afford to break down defensively like that again late in a game.

The Celtics are putting up 121.2 points a game and rank second overall in scoring per game. Their defense has also been appealing in allowing opponents to average 110.6 points a game and ranking 10th.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

For the Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics battle, MyBookie has the NBA betting odds that show the Celtics favored by nine points. According to market analysis, the Celtics have a 77.0 percent chance of winning this matchup.

The Heat are 8-10-0 against the spread, but the Celtics roughly the same at 8-12-0. However, the Heat are 4-5 overall on the road while the Celtics are 7-2. Look for the Celtics to cover the spread.

Final Pick: Boston Celtics -9.0 (-110)