All it took was a win to get the Boston Celtics back in the betting market.
Celtics are 8.5-point favorites at betmgm against the Miami Heat for Thursday’s Game 5. That line opened and went up on the Celtics -7.5.
Bettors forgot what happened in the first three games of the series, apparently.
Miami was an 8.5 point underdog in Game 1 and won straight. The Heat were 10-point underdogs in Game 2 and won another game outright. When the series shifted back to Miami, the Heat were 4.5-point underdogs and won again.
We’ll begin by finding out whether Boston’s win in Game 4 completely changed the momentum in the series. Boston looked much better and won Game 4, and the spread for Game 5 makes it seem like the first three games never happened.
The biggest difference for Boston in Game 4 was 3-point shooting. The Celtics hit 18 of 45 3-point attempts, and they’ll be tough to beat when they do. Again it’s hard to count on 18 3s vs a good Heat defense.
If the Celtics win on Thursday night, the pressure will mount on Miami. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 hole in an NBA playoff series, but the Celtics have a reasonable chance to make history. The heat won’t make it that easy.
Here’s a first look at the sports betting slate for Thursday:
The Dallas Stars didn’t put up much of a fight in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. They were 3–0 down almost immediately and captain Jamie Benn received a game misconduct for a cross checking penalty. The Vegas Golden Knights won that game 4–0. Ben was suspended for two games.
The Stars are the -125 favorites over the Golden Knights for Game 4. While Dallas may bounce back after an embarrassing performance, it also knows how difficult it will be to crawl back into the series. It’s even harder without Ben. The Golden Knights won Game 3 4-0 and are in a good spot to end the series on Thursday and set up a fun Stanley Cup final against the Florida Panthers.
some early mlb action
Major League Baseball has 10 games on Thursdays, including four in the afternoon. Those games saw the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays cap off an entertaining series. The Rays are -155 favourites.
In the evening, a disappointing Philadelphia Phillies team looked to keep some momentum from a dramatic extra innings win on Wednesday as it begins a series against the Atlanta Braves. Aaron Nola is on the field for the Phillies, which is why they’re the -115 favorite. It’s not a bad idea considering that most of the times the Braves are taken on as underdogs, especially at home.
What’s the best bet?
How could it not be the Heat and all those points? We may be seeing the first stage of a historic comeback for the Celtics, but 8.5 points is still too high. Even if Boston wins, Miami should put up a good fight.
