- Date & Location: Friday, May 27 at TD Garden in Boston, MA
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: ESPN
The Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics are playing in the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The 2022 NBA season marks the third time the teams have faced each other in the Conference Finals and the fifth time they have played each other in the postseason.
The first time the teams met in the playoffs was in the first round in 2010. Boston won that series in five games. Since then, the Heat have prevailed, beating the Celtics in the semifinals in 2011 in five games and then winning in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012 (seven games) and 2020 (six games). With Boston’s win in Game 5, the Celtics can close out the series in tonight’s Game 6.
Miami are the No. 1 seeded team in the Eastern Conference. They defeated the Atlanta Hawks (4-1) in the first round before claiming their place in the Conference Finals with a six-game series win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Boston are the No. 2 team in the East. The Celtics swept Brooklyn in the first round and then went seven games with defending NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks in the semifinal round.
Before we look at Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Series between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, check out the odds for the 2022 NBA Playoffs and our guide to betting on the NBA.
Heat vs. Celtics Game 6 picks
Miami Heat breakdown and analysis
Injuries are hurting the Miami Heat in a big way in the team’s Eastern Conference Finals series against the Boston Celtics.
Jimmy Butler has a sore knee and that has limited him. Butler still played 40 minutes in Game 5, but he only had 13 points, which was actually a lot better than the six and eight he scored in Games 3 and 4. However, prior to tweaking his knee, Butler had 29 and 41 points in the first two games of the Boston series.
Kyle Lowry, who averaged 17 points per game in the four regular-season games he played in April, had zero points on 25 minutes in Game 5 and three points in 21 minutes in Game 4.
Tyler Herro has not played for the Heat in the past two games because of a groin injury.
Unless Miami gets healthy very quickly, it’s likely their 2022 NBA season ends on Friday night.
Boston Celtics breakdown and analysis
With Miami’s injuries, the Boston Celtics cruised to a 93-80 win in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
Miami is so hampered that the Celtics more or less didn’t worry about Jimmy Butler during Game 5.
That’s not to say Boston is the picture of health. Game 5 of the Heat series marked just the fourth time the Celtics had their full roster available during the 2022 playoffs.
In Game 5, Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 25 points. Jayson Tatum put up 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added nine assists. Robert Williams III had 10 rebounds and Al Horford added 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Meanwhile, Derrick White came off the bench to play for 29 minutes. He tied his playoff high of 14 points in Game 5.
It looks as if the Celtics will move onto the NBA Finals with a win in Friday’s Game 6.
Our pick
Injuries happen in sports and it looks like that fact is going to be a large reason why this series is going to see the Boston Celtics move past the Miami Heat and represent the Eastern Conference when the NBA Finals begin on June 2.
Pick: Boston Celtics to beat Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
See below a list of reliable NBA Finals sportsbooks and choose the best one for you.