Zack Cimini, SportsLine's NBA picks expert for Game 6 of Heat against Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals has released his 2022 NBA playoff picks
When they take on the Miami Heat in Game 6, the Boston Celtics will attempt to secure their place in the NBA Finals. With a win in Miami of 93-80 on Wednesday, they held a lead of 3-2 in the series. In Game 5, the Heat only shot 7 of 45 shots from beyond the arc, while Max Strus was 0-9 and Kyle Lowry 0-6. Tyler Herro, the Heat's shooting guard, is listed as questionable while Boston lists Robert Williams III and Marcus Smart (ankle).
Tipoff will take place at 8:30 p.m. ET from the TD Garden in Boston. The latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook show Boston as the 8-point favorite against the Heat. The over-under is set at 202.5. Zack Cimini, SportsLine expert, has some thoughts on the Heat vs. Celtics betting and NBA predictions.
Cimini is a Las Vegas handicapper who doesn't mind challenging conventional wisdom. He excels at multiple sports. Cimini has a record of 23-11 in his past 34 NBA picks. He returns almost $1,100 to $100 players. His incredible 36-16-1 streak includes 53 against-the spread picks involving Celtics. These picks have returned $1,748 to $100 players.
Cimini now has his sights set on the Celtics vs. Heat and has just entered his picks as well as his NBA playoff predictions. To see his picks, you can visit SportsLine. Below are some betting lines and odds for the NBA matchup Heat vs. Celtics.
The Celtics have the ability to cover
Over the last few games, Miami has struggled to overcome injuries. After taking a 2-1 lead in the series, the Heat held that advantage but have struggled to keep up. In each of his three previous games, Jimmy Butler, the star forward, was held to less than 15 points.
Boston is keeping its foot on the pedal and it looks good for Friday's chances of covering a wide spread. In 15 of their 20 previous games, the Celtics have covered the number. They beat Milwaukee in the final round of the last round and should be able do the same in Game 6.
The Heat can Cover
Miami is seen as a desperate team for Game 6. However, the Heat have solid metrics to draw on in this matchup. The playoffs have a remarkable offensive rebound rate of 30.8%. In addition, the Heat are only committing 11.6 turnovers per series against Boston. The Heat led the NBA in 3-point accuracy with 37.9 percent during the regular season. They are likely to experience positive regression following two substandard perimeter shooting games.
Miami's defense is a class act. It was ranked in the top four for overall defensive efficiency during regular season. The Heat was the NBA's leader in points allowed in basketball. In the series, Miami has done even better, limiting Boston to 37.2 points per match in the paint. Opportunist Heat also force a turnover on 16.1% of defensive possessions against Celtics. They average 8.8 steals per series. Miami is also a strong defensive rebounding team with opponents scoring less than 26 percent of missed shots.
How to pick Heat vs. Celtics
Cimini is unsure about the Eastern Conference finals' point total for Game 6, but he says that an X-factor makes the other side of the spread a must back. SportsLine is only sharing the information he has, as well as which side of Heat vs. Celtics spread he believes to be correct.
