Tonight at 8:30 PM on ESPN, the Miami Heat travel to Boston’s TD Garden to play the Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.
The Heat have won three NBA Championships, with the last coming in 2013 when the big three (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh) were still in South Beach.
The Celtics have hung 17 championship banners during their time in Boston and must get through a hungry Heat squad if they want to win their 18th and move out of an all-time tie for first place with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Online NBA sportsbooks have posted a variety of Heat vs. Celtics odds, including betting lines for Game 1, series prices, prop bets, and futures.
Eastern Conference Finals Game 1
Miami made it to the NBA Playoffs as a part of the play-in tournament, losing their first postseason contest to the Atlanta Hawks and then dispatching the Chicago Bulls to secure the 8 seed.
In the first round, the Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks, the number-one seed in the Eastern Conference, in five games. They followed that up by taking out the New York Knicks in six games.
The Game 1 lines at NBA Playoffs betting sites favor Boston to take the first contest of the series by 8 points.
Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics Game 1 Betting Line
- Point Spread: Heat +8.0, Celtics -8.0
- Moneyline: Heat +285, Celtics -370
- Over/Under: 210.5
Who Will Win The Series?
Boston and Miami have played four times during 2022-23, splitting the regular season series with two wins apiece. Despite prior results suggesting a matchup that is evenly matched, series prices heavily favor the Celtics to win the East.
Heat vs. Celtics Series Prices
- Miami Heat +425
- Boston Celtics -550
Bets of $5.50 on the Celtics to win the series will net $1 gains, whereas a $1 bet on the Heat will earn payouts of $5.25.
There are also NBA prop bets on the boards asking gamblers to wager on the number of games that the series will go. The odds suggest that the Eastern Conference Finals will last five games, with the largest payouts being offered for either team winning in a sweep.
Number of Games Played in Eastern Conference Finals
- 5 +180
- 6 +225
- 7 +300
- 4 +375
Who Will Win The 2023 NBA Finals?
Odds for NBA Finals betting are posted now in the form of futures, but they will only remain on the boards through the end of the Conference Finals. Once the NBA Playoff field narrows down to two teams, moneyline odds for each to win will be placed in lines for series prices.
2023 NBA Championship Futures
- Boston Celtics +110
- Denver Nuggets +150
- Los Angeles Lakers +500
- Miami Heat +1600
Once again, the Heat aren’t getting much respect. They’re the least-likely franchise to win the NBA Finals and will award gamblers with 16-to-1 payouts if they can defy the futures and finish as the top team this year.
Sources: ESPN | NBA.com | Bovada Sportsbook (Bovada Review)
