The Celtics got two starters back into the fold Thursday night in Al Horford and Marcus Smart, and it proved to be exactly the boost they needed. They handled the Heat with ease in game two, beating them 127-102 and tying the Eastern Conference Finals at one game a piece.
Marcus Smart led the way for Boston, putting up a 24 point, 10 assist, nine rebound performance in his return to the lineup. He was one board shy of a triple-double.
The Jay’s, Tatum and Brown, complimented Smart’s performance beautifully adding 27 and 24 points to the stat sheet respectively.
Al Horford made his presence known as well. Though inconsistent on the offensive end, he continued to be a cornerstone of the Boston defense, allowing Ime Udoka to not have to dig into the back end of his bench.
After Thursday’s win, the Celtics are heavy favorites for game three in Boston. Here are the odds, according to our partners at BetOnline.ag:
Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Game Three Odds
Spread: Celtics -6
Total: 208.5
Checkout our postgame show from last night’s game HERE on the Garden Report:
Jimmy Butler led Miami with 29 points and six assists, but it wasn’t enough to boost the rest of his team. He was the only Heat player with over 14 points, and the only one to shoot over 50%. They struggled mightily scoring the basketball. As a team they shot just 42.1% from the floor and 25.8% from three.
Grabbing a game in Miami was MASSIVE. The series now shifts to Boston, where the Celtics will have home court advantage and control the series from here on out. They need three more wins to get themselves to the NBA Finals – and after Thursday’s performance, I fully expect them to. As I said in my series preview:
Boston is certainly up for the task. They have the two best players in the series, a top-tier defender (when healthy) in Robert Williams who can help lock down Bam Adebayo down low, and several pivotal role players who can help score against and defend this deep Miami team.
Game three will tip off at 8:30pm on Saturday and will air on ESPN. Keep it with us at CLNS Media where Bobby Manning, Josue Pavon, and myself will have you covered with Celtics coverage leading up to Saturday. Here’s my betting prediction for the weekend:
Prediction: Celtics 110 – Heat 100
Side: Celtics -6
Total: OVER 208.5
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