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The Boston Celtics can extend their season series lead over the Miami Heat to 3-0 in south beach with victory tonight but the defending champions could be shorthanded.
How to watch Heat vs Celtics
NBA betting sites favor the Celtics as 8.0-point favorites on the road as per the latest BetOnline odds.
Miami Heat injury report
G Alec Burks (back; out), F Nikola Jovic (hand; out), G Dru Smith (achilles; out for season)
Boston Celtics injury report
F Jaylen Brown (knee; questionable), C Al Horford (toe; probable), F Jayson Tatum (knee; questionable), G Derrick White (knee; questionable), C Kristaps Porzingis (illness; questionable)
Heat vs Celtics preview
Five of the top six in the Celtics rotation are listed on the injury report but assuming at least a few of them are given the all clear, it’s hard not to see Boston coming out on top.
Jayson Tatum rarely sits out when questionable and Kristaps Porzingis was seen undergoing a fluid shootaround this morning after missing the last seven games with a mystery viral illness.
The Heat are playing for pride until the end of the season after trading away Jimmy Butler but they’ll still finish in the play-in picture and give their fans something to cheer about for a short while.
Boston is almost certainly going to finish second in the East with the Cleveland Cavaliers well on top and the New York Knicks a bit too far behind in third, so the defending champions are looking to build rhythm ahead of the postseason.
The Celtics have won both meetings against the Heat so far this season and they’ll be keen to bounce back from defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder after a run of five straight victories.