The Conference Finals portion of this year’s NBA playoffs has been a bit of a dud. Each of the three games played so far have been blowouts and the games haven’t featured the competitive basketball we’ve come to expect. That being said, it is still very early in these series and the games are bound to be more interesting. On Saturday, the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat will battle for a commanding 2-1 lead in their series and the intensity should be very high. Here are some picks for that crucial game three.
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics betting preview
After splitting two games in Miami, the Celtics will head home with momentum. They blew out the Heat last time out and tied up the series. They will expect to win at home and they should. Simply put, the Celtics are a better team and do Miami’s strengths better than Miami. The Celtics are ferocious on defense and will have plenty of guys to throw at Jimmy Butler. This line may seem a little big for an even series, but the Celtics have all the mojo right now, and should win convincingly.
However, the Heat will battle. They have a lot of experienced playoff performers and know how to win in the playoffs. But they do not have a lot of scoring. Outside of Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro, the Heat are lacking scoring options and against Boston, that is a death sentence. Boston can easily lock up two guys and it will be on the Heat’s role players to step up. In a hostile environment for game three, we wouldn’t count on that happening.
The Heat’s greatest strength is their defense but most of their attention will be on Boston’s star forward, Jayson Tatum. Just like the Celtic’s series against Milwaukee, it will be on Jaylen Brown to step up and he has proven himself to be capable of doing so. He can light up the scoreboard from three and Jaylen is a guy that feeds off of the energy coming from the crowd. In a crucial game three, the crowd will be buzzing and so will Jaylen. Take the over and watch Jaylen showcase his scoring talent at home in Boston.
Jaylen Brown Over 23.5 Points
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