Teams looking to rebound from Sunday night losses meet when the Miami Heat battle the Boston Celtics in an Eastern Conference matchup on Monday. Miami dropped a 119-116 decision at Toronto, while Boston fell 115-111 at Cleveland. The Heat (9-9), who have won four of six, are 5-5 on the road this season. The Celtics (16-4), who had a seven-game winning streak snapped on Sunday, are 7-2 on their home court. Boston will be without Jrue Holiday (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (leg) and Al Horford (toe), while Miami is down Jimmy Butler (knee).
Tipoff from TD Garden in Boston is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Celtics are 8.5-point favorites in the latest Heat vs. Celtics odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 218. Boston is a -360 favorite on the money line (risk $360 to win $100). Before making any Celtics vs. Heat picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 7 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 116-80 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $3,000. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.  Â
The model has set its sights on Heat vs. Celtics and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Celtics vs. Heat:
- Heat vs. Celtics spread: Boston -8.5
- Heat vs. Celtics over/under: 218 points  Â
- Heat vs. Celtics money line: Boston -360, Miami +285
- MIA: The Heat are 5-5 against the spread in their last 10 games Â
- BOS: The Celtics are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games Â
- Heat vs. Celtics picks:Â See picks at SportsLine
- Heat vs. Celtics streaming:Â FuboTVÂ (Try for free)
Why the Celtics can cover
Small forward Jayson Tatum helps power the Boston offense. He is coming off a 33-point, eight-rebound and four-assist effort in the loss at Cleveland. He posted a double-double in Friday’s 138-129 win over the Chicago Bulls. In that game, he scored 35 points and added 14 rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal. Entering play on Sunday, he was averaging 28.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 36.3 minutes.
Boston has balance on both ends of the court, ranking third in offensive rating and seventh in defensive rating. It leads the NBA in made 3-pointers per game, but its high-octane offense is also extremely efficient, averaging the fewest turnovers per night. Meanwhile, Miami has glaring weaknesses, including ranking 24th in field goal percentage and the inability to defend the paint, as just one other NBA team averages fewer blocks per game than the Heat. See which team to pick here.
Why the Heat can cover
Veteran guard Tyler Herro has reached double-digit scoring in all 18 games this season. He has registered two double-doubles, including a 24-point and 11-assist effort in a 135-122 loss at Denver on Nov. 8. He is coming off a 31-point, four-rebound and three-assist performance in Sunday’s loss to the Raptors. For the season, he is averaging 23.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 35.1 minutes.
Miami has the recent spread advantage as the Celtics are just 1-6 against the spread over their last seven games. For the season, the Celtics are just 3-6 ATS on their home court, and Boston is down three of its best players in Horford, Holiday and Porzingis, at the very least. More Celtics could be out, or limited, as Tatum (knee), Jaylen Brown (illness) and Derrick White (foot) are all listed as questionable. See which team to pick here.
How to make Heat vs. Celtics picks
The model has simulated Heat vs. Celtics 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 215 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits over 60% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Heat vs. Celtics, and which side of the spread hits over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Heat vs. Celtics spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 116-80 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
