Heat vs Celtics Game 2 Prediction, Odds & Player Props

• Game 2 of Heat vs Celtics goes down Wednesday night at TD Garden
• The Wednesday NBA odds favor Boston to take a 2-0 series lead over Miami
• Read below for Heat vs Celtics Game 2 prediction, odds and player props

The Miami Heat will look to even their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:00 PM ET on TNT. The top-seeded Celtics dominated Game 1, cruising to a 114-94 victory as 14.5-point home favorites.

Boston will aim for a 2-0 series lead before heading to Miami, while the Heat hope to steal one on the road without injured stars Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. The Celtics are once again hefty 14.5-point favorites with a total of 203.5 points at sportsbooks.

Let’s delve into our Game 2 Celtics vs Heat prediction, as we analyze the odds and provide player props to bet.

Heat vs Celtics Game 2 Odds

In the Heat vs. Celtics odds for Game 2, Boston is a heavy -1200 moneyline favorite, giving them 92.3% implied win probability.

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Odds as of April 24, 2024, at Bet365 Sportsbook. Unlock the Bet365 promo code to bet on Heat vs Celtics.

Boston Dominates Game 1

In the series opener, the Celtics jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first three minutes and never looked back. Boston led by double-digits the entire second half, with the margin ballooning to 34 points in the fourth quarter. Jayson Tatum notched his first career playoff triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Celtics tied a franchise playoff record with 22 made three-pointers, as six players scored in double figures. The early NBA Playoff MVP odds favor several of the B’s players.

playoff mode ᴜɴʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ 🔓 pic.twitter.com/H53RUk6fof

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 24, 2024

Miami struggled mightily on offense without their top playmakers Butler and Rozier. The Heat shot just 12-37 (32.4%) from three-point range compared to Boston’s scorching 22-49 (44.9%).

Bam Adebayo led Miami with 24 points, while Delon Wright added 17 off the bench on 5-5 shooting from deep. But the rest of the Heat combined to go just 7-32 on threes.

Can Heat Slow Down Celtics?

The Celtics enter Game 2 having won 16 of their last 18 games overall, with the only two losses coming in the final two meaningless regular season contests when they rested their starters.

Boston went an NBA-best 64-18 this season, securing the top seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Celtics are a perfect 38-4 at TD Garden this year, so it’s no surprise they are the favorite in the NBA Championship odds.

one purpose, one mindset, one heartbeat ☘️

It's #DifferentHere pic.twitter.com/Kii3UUkWuZ

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 20, 2024

Miami needed to win two play-in games just to make the playoffs as the 8th seed after going 46-36 in the regular season. The Heat lost Jimmy Butler to a knee injury in their play-in opener against the 76ers. But they bounced back to beat the Bulls and clinch a postseason berth even without Butler and Terry Rozier (neck)

For the Heat to have any chance of pulling the upset, they will need much better production from Herro and the supporting cast. Herro shot just 4-13 from the field and 2-9 from three in Game 1. Miami also has to find a way to slow down Boston’s three-point barrage after allowing 22 makes.

Injury Report

The Heat remain without their leader Jimmy Butler, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury suffered in the play-in tournament. Sixth-man Tyler Herro is also dealing with a hand injury that sidelined him down the stretch of the regular season, but he will continue to play through it.

For the Celtics, center Luke Kornet has been ruled out for Game 2 with a calf injury. Kornet has been in and out of the lineup all season. His absence means more minutes for veteran Al Horford and Blake Griffin. Boston is otherwise fully healthy.

Celtics vs Heat Player Props

The NBA player prop odds favor another strong performance from Tatum, with the Boston star sporting the highest point total on the board at 25.5.

NBA player props odds as of Apr. 24 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Tatum over 8.5 rebounds sticks out as a strong bet after he pulled down 10 boards in Game 1. Tatum has averaged 10 rebounds per game over his last 15 games against Miami, and many of those matchups featured Jimmy Butler.

Tatum was extremely effeinct in Game 1, pulling in those 10 rebounds on 12 chances. He also logged the highest number of minutes (forty-one) among all Celtics players by a significant margin. This is likely attributable to the team’s confidence in their backcourt depth and not so much their frontcourt depth.

Given their previous postseason loss to Miami, Coach Mazzulla is unlikely to take any risks against Coach Spoelstra and his team. As a result, we can anticipate Tatum playing 38 minutes or more tonight.

Heat vs Celtics Prop Bet:

• Jayson Tatum Over 8.5 Rebounds (-140)

Heat vs Celtics Game 2 Prediction

While I expect the Heat to play with more desperation and fight in Game 2, it’s hard to envision them keeping this game close for 48 minutes in Boston without Butler and Rozier. The Celtics are simply too talented, too deep, and too well-coached. Tatum and Brown are a nightmare matchup for Miami’s depleted wing rotation.

The Celtics were the best team in the NBA all season for a reason. They lead the league in net rating (+7.5), offensive rating (117.9) and defensive rating (111.3). Boston’s historically good offense features pristine spacing and ball movement that is very difficult to defend when they are hitting threes like in Game 1.

one purpose, one mindset, one heartbeat ☘️

It's #DifferentHere pic.twitter.com/Kii3UUkWuZ

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 20, 2024

Even if the Heat manage to contain the Jays better, the Celtics have a plethora of role players capable of stepping up. Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Grant Williams and Sam Hauser can all get hot from deep. And Porzingis presents a matchup problem with his size and shooting ability.

Barring an uncharacteristically poor shooting night from Boston, I just don’t see the Heat having enough firepower to keep pace. Miami’s offense was 25th ranked this season, and it could get ugly fast if they dig another early double-digit hole in front of a lively TD Garden crowd.

I’ll lay the big number with the Celtics at home. I project them to win by 15+ points. The first-half spread of Celtics -8 is also in play, as I expect them to jump out to another big lead. The total is a tougher call, but I lean towards the under in what should be a slower-paced, grind-it-out affair.

MIA vs BOS Game 2 Pick:

• Boston Celtics -14.5 (-110)