The expected ping-pong match between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals has played out accordingly, with both teams stealing a win on their opponent’s floor.
Game 4 sees a new wrinkle added, with Miami star Jimmy Butler listed as a game-time decision due to nagging knee soreness that cost him the second half of Saturday’s contest. The Heat held up without their captain for a 109-103 win but are now 7-point underdogs in Boston for Monday.
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Boston opened as low as a 6.5-point home favorite and has jumped to -7 with Butler’s status up in the air. The total for Game 4 hit the board at 208.5 points.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Heat vs Celtics Game 4 predictions
Predictions made on 5/22/2022 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Heat vs Celtics Game 4 info
• Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA • Date: Monday, May 23, 2022 • Tip-off: 8:30 p.m. ET • TV: ABC
Heat vs Celtics series odds
Heat: -110 Celtics: -110
Heat vs Celtics Game 4 betting preview
Key injuries
Heat: Jimmy Butler F (Questionable), Tyler Herro G (Out). Celtics: Robert Williams C (Questionable), Sam Hauser F (Questionable), Marcus Smart G (Questionable).
The Celtics are 4-0 in the postseason following a loss. Find more NBA betting trends for Heat vs. Celtics.
Heat vs Celtics Game 4 picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
Miami’s valiant second-half effort vs. the Celtics in Game 3 held off a surge from the home side, which closed a 26-point gap on the scoreboard to put a scare in the Heat down the stretch Saturday. Boston started the game a dismal 15-for-35 from the field (3 of 12 on 3-pointers) with 11 turnovers in the first half.
While the absence of Butler certainly helped the Celtics’ second-half chances, this team was too good to struggle like it did in the opening 24 minutes. Boston bounced back by shooting better than 54% from the floor in the final two frames along with nine makes on 12 attempts from beyond the arc.
That’s where the C’s pick up in Game 4 — Butler or no Butler.
Due to careless passing and sloppy play, Boston coughed the ball up 24 times in Game 3, and Miami quickly exchanged those mistakes for 33 points. Those errors also prevented the Celtics from finding any flow or rhythm offensively until late in the fourth.
They were averaging only 13.2 turnovers per game in the postseason before Saturday’s slopfest and even if they clean up their play in Game 4 to that average, that’s a little over 18 points off turnovers in the pocket of Miami — an improvement that would have made the difference in Game 3.
The current line seems a little protective of Butler’s health. Game 3 opened with Boston as low as -5.5 at home and jumped to as high as -6.5 before late money on Miami slimmed the closing line back at Celtics -5.5. But it’s not just Butler that Miami backers have to worry about for Game 4.
Super-sub and Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro suffered a quad injury on Saturday and was held out of the fourth quarter, leaving his status for Monday up in the air as well.
Purely speculating and not taking anything away from Miami’s efforts, but the Heat likely entered these two games in Boston with the realistic goal of stealing back at least one victory in the Garden, turning this into a best-of-three series with home court in Games 5 and 7. Mission accomplished.
This is a playoff-savvy team and rather than risk losing Butler and potentially Herro for the championship rounds of this series, the Heat could go safe in Game 4 and rest those key talents in order to better position themselves for what really feels like a seven-game slog.
I’m jumping on Boston as low as I can right now, trying to stay ahead of any injury updates that could boost this padded line any further. Keep a close eye on the line movement between now and tipoff, as the market often knows who’s in and out before the media reports on it.
Bookies have been packing on the points since pegging Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with an ultra-low total of 203.5 — a number the Celtics and Heat blew out of the water by a combined 21.5 points.
The Game 3 total closed at 208 points and Over bettors needed some late buckets — uncontested dunk and a desperation triple — in the final 20 seconds of the fourth quarter to get over the hump, making the Over a perfect 3-0 in this series so far.
The Game 4 number opened 208.5 points and will likely dip significantly if Butler or Herro (or both) sit out Monday. That pair has combined for almost 39% of the Heat’s total offensive output this postseason. Miami has some capable bodies in backup spots, like Victor Oladipo and Gabe Vincent, but Boston doesn’t need to take account for those guys like it does when Butler and Herro are on the floor.
As for the Celtics’ attack, it needs to be more protective of the basketball after turnovers turned the tide of this series Saturday. Those errors gift wrapped more than 30 points for Miami, which had picked up an average of 17 points off turnovers in the first two games of the series.
The old philosophy of “fake it before you make it” will apply to all of Boston’s passes Monday night after the Heat recorded an incredible 19 steals in Game 3, so expect the Celtics’ offense to use up a little more shot clock and play with better focus.
We’ll go Under trying to get out ahead of a total that could shrink quickly. As with the spread, keep a close eye on total movement if you want to wait on more concrete info around Miami’s injuries.
If the Heat are potentially happy with stealing that road win and escaping Boston with no further damage done to its dinged-up stars, then we’ll likely know by halftime.
Boston will undoubtedly come out swinging on its home court, knowing how close it came to completing the comeback in Game 3. Despite being down 15 points at the halftime break Saturday, the Celtics are still the top first-half team in the postseason with an advanced net rating of +8.9.
The moneyline is a pricy option at -275 and will only get more expensive should Miami rest those injured stars, so we’ll instead look to the double result – 1H/full game line – for added value with minimal risk, considering how the opening 24 minutes could shake out.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
