Wednesday night features Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. The five-seed Heat owns a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series over the three-seed Celtics who will try and even the series after falling behind 0-2 to start the series.
Game time is set for 8:30 p.m. CST inside ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla. The Celtics are a 3-point favorite, according to oddsmakers.
What to Know – Boston Celtics
The Celtics got a much-needed win in Game 3, followed by three days of rest as they try and push the series to 2-2. Boston led wire-to-wire in Game 3 for a 117-106 victory. If the Celtics win Wednesday, it will be the first time Boston has won back-to-back playoff games since the second round against Toronto.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the field. Brown was one of three Celtics players that logged 40 minutes or more of action in the game. Jayson Tatum added 25 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. Kemba Walker (21 points) and Marcus Smart (20 points) also tallied over 20 points in the victory.
As a team, the Celtics shot 48.2% (41-for-85) from the floor but just 34.6% (9-for-26) from the three-point line. Boston made up for it at the free-throw line, where they made 26-of-30 free throws (86.7%).
Gordon Hayward returned to action for the Celtics after suffering an ankle injury back in the middle of August. Hayward came off the bench to score six points and grab five rebounds in 31 minutes of action. He added a much need spark to the Celtics lineup.
What to Know – Miami Heat
The Game 3 loss was just the second loss in the playoffs for the Heat, who have been on a tear since postseason action began. The Heat have fallen behind by double-digits in each of the first three games of the series, a concerning stat for the team. Miami looked out of sorts in Game 3 without the same flow and energy-level they maintained over the first two games of the series.
Bam Adebayo was the game’s high scorer with 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the floor. Adebayo secured 16 rebounds and added three steals and two blocked shots. Sharp-shooter Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 22 points and add four assists. Jimmy Butler added 17 points and eight rebounds as well.
After averaging 27 points over the first three games, Goran Dragic poured in just 11 points and was just 2-for-10 from the field. Duncan Robinson continued is assault from beyond the arc, hitting four more three-point field goals. Robinson has gone 10-for-20 over the last two contests from long distance.
Miami finished the game shooting 38.8% (33-for-85) from the floor and 27.3% (12-for-44) from beyond the arc. The low shooting percentage number from three was about 11% lower than the team average.
The Pick is In
The Game 3 win with the added time off should work wonders for the Celtics. Miami has been hot, and the time off is an opportunity for them to cool down. The last thing Boston wants to do is fall to 3-1 in the series and give themselves an almost insurmountable hole to dig themselves out of.
Boston showed us over the weekend that they can take down the Heat, and expect them to do it again in Game 4. Ride with the Celtics against the spread in this one.
