Not for a moment of the NBA Playoffs 1st round first match, Boston Celtics' victory against Miami Heat was in doubt. The best team of the regular season that recorded 64 wins looks like a well-oiled machine in the postseason as well. Check the NBA betting tips on our website.

The Celtics swept Miami Heat 3-0 this season. It was 119-111 at the Garden last October, then 143-110 and 110-106 in Florida. Boston won as many as 80% of the matches this season in which they were favorites.

Boston's biggest star Jayson Tatum had a somewhat weaker night in Game 1 with only one three-pointer from eight attempts. But he fully compensated it with a 23-10-10 triple-double. And when their best player could not deliver, the Celtics had quality backup solutions in White (20 pts), Porzingis (18 pts), and Brown (17 pts).

Miami Heat is known for never giving up. That's how they made a big surprise last season and reached the NBA finals. Inconsistency is one of their big problems this season, but the biggest issue is the absence of the Playoff Jimmy due to injury. Butler is a player who is incredibly needed in these kinds of matches and it is difficult for the Heat to overcome this loss.

Pre-match odds Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat

	Boston Celtics	Miami Heat
	1.08	9.00

The upset that Miami Heat inflicted on the Celtics in last year's conference finals is surely still on the minds of the players in green. The desire for revenge is great, and not just an ordinary revenge. The Celtics want to sweep their rival and have a great chance to do so. 

Even not at their best, the home team breezed past their rivals and won by 20 points in Game 1. Now it can be an even better match from their side and we expect a similar victory. A handicap of -14.5 should be easy to reach and probably that’s the best betting option.

Best Pick: BOSTON CELTICS TO COVER AH -14.5 1.90 | Place Bet

Nikola Jovic (MIA) OVER 7.5 PTS 1.86 | Place Bet

This margin is too low for Jovic. In the absence of Butler, it is understandable that he will get more minutes in this series, and a solid performance in Game 1 and 10 points scored are a good sign. At least 25 minutes are expected for him. If he fails to knock down shots from the outside, he has the technique to score easy points inside

Payton Pritchard (BOS) OVER 3.5 Assists 1.62 | Place Bet

A player who was underestimated by analysts until now, has established himself as one of the leaders of the Celtics' second lineup in the regular season. Pritchard had a huge 25 minutes in game 1, which shows that the coach believes in him, he made 5 assists out of a potential 6, and recorded 4 or more assists in 24 of the previous 30 matches. It is clear that there are great chances that he will achieve at least 4 successful passes again because some of the Celtics players are top class scorers.

According to Boston Celtics Twitter, back-up center Luke Kornet is being treated as week to week with his injury, and there is no chance that he will be ready to participate in this series against the Heat.

#NEBHInjuryReport for tomorrow vs. Miami:

Luke Kornet (right calf strain) - OUT

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 23, 2024

In addition to Jimmy Butler's serious injury, which will keep him out of the field in this year's Playoffs, Miami Heat will be deprived of the help of two more exceptional guards and scorers in Josh Richardson, who is out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury, and even more important player Terry Rozier, who will also be out due to a neck injury. However, time of his return has not been defined.

#MIAvsBOS INJURY UPDATE: Terry Rozier (neck) has been ruled out of tomorrow night's Game 2 vs the Celtics.

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 23, 2024

• 2 / 10 of Boston Celtics last matches in all competitions ended in defeat
• 4 / 10 of Miami Heat last matches in all competitions ended with a win
• 3 / 10 of the last matches between the teams ended with a Miami Heat win
  Bet365 | 9.00 - Win Miami Heat

• 5 / 10 of Miami Heat last matches in all tournaments ended with their victory in the 1st quarter
• 5 / 10 of the last matches between the teams ended with a Miami Heat victory in the 1st quarter
  Ivibet | 3.78 - 1st quarter Win Miami Heat

• 7 / 10 of Boston Celtics last matches in all tournaments ended with their defeat in the 2nd quarter
• 5 / 10 of Miami Heat last matches in all tournaments ended with their victory in the 2nd quarter
• 5 / 10 of the last matches between the teams ended with a Miami Heat victory in the 2nd quarter
  Bet365 | 3.25 - 2nd quarter Win Miami Heat

• 3 / 10 of Boston Celtics last matches in all tournaments ended with their victory in the 4th quarter
• 5 / 10 of the last matches between the teams ended with a Boston Celtics victory in the 4th quarter
• 5 / 10 of Miami Heat last matches in all tournaments ended with their defeat in the 4th quarter
  Bet365 | 1.58 - 4th quarter Win Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat last 5 matches