Will the record champions equalise?
The fourth clash between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in the 2022 NBA Playoffs is set for next night. The home side last lost their first home game in the series and trail 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston Celtics – Statistics & current form
The record champions lost the last game once again because of a particularly weak quarter. This time it was the first quarter in which Head Coach Ime Udoka’s team ended up with a huge 21-point deficit.
Boston could not recover from this deficit for the rest of the game, although it was only six points at the final siren at TD Garden. Especially the lack of concentration in the course of the game was a problem: Boston produced no less than 23 turnovers in the course of the game!
Furthermore, Jayson Tatum had a bad day: The small forward alone had half a dozen ball losses and scored only ten points. For comparison: His average scoring value in the playoffs is 28.2 points per game. However, he was also limited by a shoulder injury.
Furthermore, the home side cannot currently rely on a home bonus: They have only won two of the past five home games at TD Garden.
This is especially true for this pairing, as Miami have failed to win only one of their past five visits to Boston.
Miami Heat – Statistics & current form
The Florida franchise regained home court advantage in the series with their latest win, but head coach Erik Spoelstra now has to fear for his best player.
Jimmy Butler only played 20 minutes in the last game before a knee injury took him out of the game. It is too early to say whether he will be able to play in Game 4. But the signs are rather bad.
On the other hand, Kyle Lowry has returned to the Heat’s starting five after recovering from his injury. Bam Adebayo has also shown that he can compensate for the absence of “Jimmy Bucket”.
The centre recorded the best scoring record on the side of the three-time champions with 31 points and delivered a strong double-double with ten rebounds.
Miami also has the best defence in the postseason so far: The visitors have allowed an average of just 100.6 points to their opponents per game.
Boston Celtics – Miami Heat tip
For the clash between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in Game 4 of the 2022 Western Finals, the betting includes more than 38.5 points, rebounds and assists by Jayson Tatum on the part of the hosts.
After the past disappointing game, a reaction from him is now expected. In addition, his slight shoulder injury, which certainly also contributed to his unusually weak performance, should now no longer play a major role.
In the first game of the series, Tatum also already exceeded the selected limit in points, boards and assists on successful throws by his teammates.
In the second game it would probably have been the case as well. In this one, he fell just short with 37, but due to the early decision in the game in favour of the Celtics, he ended up with comparatively few 32 minutes of playing time.
