Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics – NBA, September 17, 2020

The Miami Heat didn’t stop after eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the Eastern Conference semis, and they opened the ECF with a 117-114 overtime win over the Boston Celtics. The Celtics had the lead but they dropped it late in the fourth quarter, and the Heat forced the overtime and then secured a victory. The Game 2 tip-off is set at 7 PM ET.

These conference foes have faced on four occasions this season, and the series is tied 2-2. This is my Heat vs. Celtics betting pick for Game 2.

Even though the Heat won the opening game of the series, the sportsbooks are still giving a slight favorite tag to the Celtics. However, they lowered the spread from -2.5 to -1.5, while the total is set at 208.5, which is actually a bit lower than 209.5 from Game 1.

We know that Game 1 went Over, so if you expect another tight duel here, you can back Over again.

Miami didn’t play well in the first and third quarters of Game 1, scoring just 34 points in total, but they exploded in the second and final quarter and scored even 72 points. The Heat came back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime and then they secured a win. Erik Spoelstra’s side was much better in assists (32-24) and shot 47.1% from the floor.

Goran Dragic led the Heat with 29 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Jae Crowder followed him with 22 points, five boards, and two blocks, and Jimmy Butler added 20 points, five rebounds, five dimes, and a couple of thefts. Bam Adebayo played a crucial role in defense in the dying moments of overtime as he produced a monstrous block on Jayson Tatum. He finished the game with 18 points, game-high nine assists, six rebounds, and two rejections, while Tyler Herro posted a near triple-double performance of 12 points, team-high 11 boards, and nine dishes.

The Block heard around the world ??? pic.twitter.com/ySaekJxHtW

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 16, 2020

Boston had a lead for the most of the game, and even a double-digit lead on several occasions, including the fourth quarter. Still, that wasn’t enough to seal the deal and get a victory, so Brad Stevens will have a lot to talk about with his players. The Celtics played well on defense and finished the tilt with nine steals opposite Miami’s five, but their D wasn’t good in the final 12 minutes.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with a double-double of 30 points and game-high 14 rebounds, along with five assists and three steals. Marcus Smart scored 26 points, Kemba Walker had 19 points and team-high six dimes, Jaylen Brown contributed with 17 points and five rebounds, while Brad Wanamaker added 11 points, six dishes, and game-high five thefts.

Tomorrow is all about remaining in the moment and staying focused on the task at hand. pic.twitter.com/PNhkkr2bb7

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 16, 2020

I backed Over 209.5 points in Game 1, and I am going with another Over in Game 2. I wouldn’t be surprised if this series produced a maximum of seven games, but at the same time, I cannot separate these rivals as both are playing well and I can’t pick a winner here. I predicted overtime in Game 1, and that is also on the cards on Thursday, so another Over is a possibility. Even if we don’t get overtime here, we will surely have a tight game that will likely go to the wire.