Celtics vs. Heat Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 2 (Back Another High-Scoring Contest in Boston)

Celtics vs. Heat Game Info

• Date: Friday, December 2, 2022
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: TD Garden -- Boston, Massachusetts
• Coverage: NBCS-BOS and BSSUN

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Friday with 11 more games, including a battle between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. These two Eastern Conference foes met head-to-head on Wednesday night and it came down to the wire. Boston eventually emerged victorious by a final score of 134-121.

Jayson Tatum was the star of that games as he dropped 49 points (15-of-25 shooting) to go along with 11 rebounds. Jaylen Brown chipped in with 26 points to give Boston a clear offensive edge. Six different Miami players scored at least 10 points, but it was Bam Adebayo that led the way with 23.

Celtics vs. Heat Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: BOS: (-320) | MIA: (+260)
• Spread: BOS: -7.5 (-114) | MIA: +7.5 (-106)
• Total: 226 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Celtics enter this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 226 points, which is about average compared to the rest of Friday's projected totals.

Celtics vs. Heat Betting Trends

• The Celtics have covered the spread 12 times in 21 games with a set spread.
• The Heat have covered the spread once this year when underdogs by 8.5 points or more (in three chances).
• Celtics games have finished with a final combined score above the over/under 12 times out of 22 chances this season.
• Heat games this year have gone over the total in 11 of 22 opportunities (50%).
• Boston sports a better record against the spread when playing at home (8-3-0) than it does in road games (4-5-1).
• Miami has been better against the spread on the road (4-6-0) than at home (3-8-1) this year.

Celtics vs. Heat Prediction & Pick

Tonight's game could very well come down to the health of Jimmy Butler. The Heat guard has missed the last seven games due to a bothersome knee injury, but there is hope he suits up on Friday. That would be a huge boost to Miami's offense given Butler is averaging 20.9 points per game this season.

Hope of a Butler return is not enough to back the Heat to win this one outright, though. Boston has been unstoppable at TD Garden, averaging 126.7 points per game on a 52.7% shooting percentage. Both of those marks lead the NBA. Miami averages just 106.6 points per away game (No. 28 in NBA).

The Celtics are also riding a 10-game home winning streak, so I'll back them to keep succeeding.

Final Score Prediction: Celtics: 120 | Heat: 114

Celtics vs. Heat Best Bet

Neither one of these teams play at an extremely fast pace, but they make their possessions count. Boston leads the league in offensive efficiency and is shooting above 40.0% from both three-point and two-point range. Miami has averaged 116.3 points over its last three games with Butler active.

Overall, the total has hit the over in four of Boston's last five games as well as in seven of its last nine home games against Miami. These teams combined for a whopping 255 points on Wednesday, yet the total for this game sits at just 226 points. Trust Tatum and Adebayo to put on another show.

Bet: Over 226 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.