The Boston Celtics can punch their ticket to the 2022 NBA Finals on Friday – and we think they do – by beating the visiting and banged-up Miami Heat in Game 6 of the East Finals?

Nitrobetting is ready to dish out some slick assists to get bets into the back of the net. This time, let’s break down the upcoming Game 6 matchup between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, along with the latest NBA odds and information about the teams and players involved.

Heat vs. Celtics Game 6 Information

• When: Friday, May 27, 8:30 PM ET
• Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: 790 AM The Ticket (Heat) // 98.5 The Sports Hub (Celtics)
• Live Stream: NHL Live
• NHL Betting Odds: Heat (+8.5) / Celtics (-8.5)

Why Bet on the Miami Heat?

The Heat were winning Game 4 at halftime by a score of 42-37 but the Celtics went on a 24-2 run in the third and fourth quarter to quickly (and easily) put the game away in the second half. The Heat were 7 for 45 from 3-point range in the loss and have hit just 60-of-184 shots in their last two games (33%).

They played again without the injured Tyler Herro (groin), and several Miami players were questionable entering the day for a variety of ailments. There’s talk the Heat could bench starting guards Kyle Lowry and Max Strus for Game 6. In the last two games, both players are a combined 1-of-28 from the field as they struggle to fend off lingering injuries.

Victor Oladipo was great in Game 4 in getting heavy minutes with Herro out – not clear if he will play Friday – but Oladipo did little in Game 5 in shooting 1-of-7 for three points, five rebounds and two steals in just 15 minutes. Star Jimmy Butler wasn’t much better in hitting 4-for-18 for 13 points.

In Game 5, the Celtics essentially stopped guarding Butler. They backed off Butler and treated him as an unskilled screen setter, not the team’s most dominant offensive player. Over the past two games and all the while playing through knee inflammation, Butler is 7-of-32 shooting.

“Butler wasn’t looking to score,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “We wanted to keep a big on him, play him like a big.”

Bam Adebayo led the way for Miami with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Gabe Vincent scored 15 off the bench. The Heat just don’t have enough offense. That said, they likely will play desperate and could cover this big number. They just won’t win.

Why Bet on the Boston Celtics?

The last time the Celtics made the NBA Finals was in 2010 when the Celtics lost in seven to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have won another since to tie Boston with 17 overall titles. We are writing this before the West Finals have completed but it should be Celtics-Warriors in the NBA Finals. Golden State would have home-court advantage because of a better regular-season record.

Frankly, the East Finals have been boring as heck because every game has been non-competitive. Wednesday’s Game 5 was for the first half but then Boston dominated in the third on the way to a 93-80 win.

Jayson Tatum hit 7-of-20 shots for 22 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Tatum was bothered by a right shoulder injury for most of the game but played through it and overcame 1-of-9 shooting and four points in the first half to come up an assist away from a triple-double. Jaylen Brown hit 10-of-19 shots for a game-high 25 points. Brown started the game with four quick turnovers and hit just 2-of-7 shots for six points in the first half but bounced back in the third quarter for a big second half. Brown didn’t turn it over after the first quarter.

“Same player,” Brown said from the first half to the second. “Just had to get settled in. That’s it. As the game wears on, some of that energy, some of that intensity starts to wear off, so the game opens up a little bit. The game opened up for me in the second half.”

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart returned after missing a game with an ankle injury and had five points, five rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes. He didn’t look 100 percent and was outplayed by backup Derrick White, who hit 6-of-8 shots for 14 points, five assists, two steals and a block. Smart will play Friday as the Celtics try to finish this and rest up for the NBA Finals, which start June 2.

Heat vs. Celtics Betting Trends

• Celtics are 14-5 ATS in the last 19 games.
• Boston is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 games versus the Eastern Conference.
• Over is 5-2 in Boston’s last 7 games when playing in Miami.
• Heat is 4-2 ATS in the last 6.
• Miami is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 Wednesday games.
• Under is 6-3 in Miami’s last 9 games as the underdog.

Heat vs. Celtics Expert Betting Predictions

Heat cover but Celtics advance.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.

This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more NBA game previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest Basketball betting odds on the sportsbook.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.