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It only took one quarter for the Heat to do the damage in Game 1 against Boston, but with Marcus Smart likely to suit up for Game 2 expect a response from the Celtics.
Tune in from 10:30am for Boston v Miami on Kayo.
Best Bet
We expect to see Marcus Smart return for Game 2 (UPDATE: And Al Horford!), which is a vital inclusion for the Celtics when they return back to Miami.
Without Smart and Al Horford this had a major impact on Boston’s rotations, requiring to play Robert Williams 28 minutes first-up off a four-game absence, Daniel Theis 20 minutes and even throwing Aaron Nesmith into the rotation. Despite this, Boston still managed to win three of the four quarters against the Heat – it was just a 12-minute break down in the third combined with a Jimmy Butler masterclass that was the difference.
The Defensive Player of the Year will get the job on Butler and even if Smart can limit Butler to 20, that should be enough to limit Miami’s overall offensive output forcing reliance on the likes of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Tyler Herro.
Expect the Celtics to make some adjustments and give themselves every chance of squaring this series heading back to Boston.
Next Best
Bam Adebayo Under 7.5 Rebounds ($2.40)
Bam hasn’t been big on the glass these playoffs and has struggled rebounding against the Celtics this season.
Averaging just 7.4 rebounds per game in the post-season, Adebayo has recorded 8+ rebounds in just half of the playoff games so far. But his rebounding numbers are positively skewed by the two games he played the 76ers without Joel Embiid – without those two games his average drops to just 6.8 per game from a 10-game sample.
In four games against the Celtics this season including Game 1, Bam averages just 7 rebounds recording 8+ just once from those games.
Posting 8+ boards just once from his last five and the way Miami are happy to switch him out onto the perimeter to guard the likes of Tatum and Brown, we will likely see Bam away from the rim again with a small rebound tally.
Same Game Multi
Under 207.5 Total Points / Tyler Herro 15+ Points / Jayson Tatum 4+ Assists = $4.33
An unexpectedly high scoring Game 1 from the Heat and Celtics with both teams strong defensively. As a result for Game 2 we see the total points jump up slightly, but expect Boston with the inclusion of Marcus Smart to make this a grind.
With Smart going to Butler, expect Tyler Herro to receive greater usage and shot attempts off the back of scoring 18 points in 27 minutes in Game 1. Jayson Tatum’s usage will continue to be high for the Celtics, and he averages 6.1 assists this post-season.
Recording 6 assists in Game 1, expect another performance of 4+ assists doing so in 11 of his 12 playoff games.