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Celtics-Heat Game 3 betting preview: Miami unstoppable against the spread

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Will the Miami Heat take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, or do the Boston Celtics finally get on the board?

Here's all the betting info you need for Saturday's clash.

Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics (-3, 207.5)

The early money in Game 2 was on the Celtics and the under. When Game 3's market opened, the early coin came in on Boston and the over. The Celtics saw a minor bump from -2.5 to -3, while the total - which went under by one point in Game 2 - got a slight tick up from 206.5.

The case for Miami

How hot is too hot? Despite coming out flat in Game 2 and digging themselves into a 13-point deficit going into the half, the Heat clawed back and outscored the Celtics by 20 in the third quarter en route to a 106-101 win.

Bettors have been waiting for Miami to regress to no avail. The team has covered 10 of the last 11 as it gets closer to a Finals appearance. There's certainly nothing fluky about the Heat's run, as they own the second-best net rating in the playoffs (6.8) behind only the Lakers.

The case for Boston

Although the Celtics are 0-2 both straight up and against the spread in the series, there isn't much to suggest you should fade them. They lost the two games by a combined eight points, and you could argue they should have won - and potentially covered - both.

Boston turned the ball over a whopping 20 times in Game 2. Otherwise, the offense found some matchups it liked. The Celtics finished the outing with a 50% clip from the floor, which trumped Miami's mark of 44.4%.

Notable betting trends

  • Heat are 10-1 against the spread the last 11 overall
  • Heat are 5-1 ATS the last six as underdogs
  • Heat are 10-3-1 ATS the last 14 Saturday games
  • Heat are 5-0 to the over the last five Saturday games
  • Heat are 13-6 to the over the last 19 after an ATS win
  • Celtics are 6-1-1 ATS the last eight after an ATS loss
  • Celtics are 22-8-1 ATS the last 31 as playoff favorites
  • Celtics are 5-0 to the under the last five after a loss
  • Celtics are 9-2 to the under the last 11 overall

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.

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