by
• Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat
• Sunday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. ET
• Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida
When it comes to the Eastern Conference, one of the best rivalries out there no question is the one between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. Over the years, the two teams have had countless eye-opening battles, with plenty of bad blood among the two rosters and fanbases. Whenever they meet, there’s sure to be plenty of drama and that should be the case on Sunday. That’s right, in a key matchup, the Celtics are hoping to avoid an upset against Miami this weekend.
Things have gone quite differently for these two teams over the past month. Not long ago, Miami was near the top of the standings out East. However, they’ve hit a bit of a slump and they’re 28-24 on the year. This is pretty disappointing, as a lot of people were hoping that Miami would be able to keep pace with teams at the top of the standings. Instead, the team’s level of play has dropped and so has their NBA Finals betting odds.
| Boston vs. Miami odds |  |  |  |
| Celtics to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Heat to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over 195 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 195 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
The same can’t be said for the Celtics, as they’re among the best of the best in the NBA as a whole. They have star forward Jayson Tatum to thank for that, as he’s been playing at an MVP level for this team. Looking ahead to the rest of the season, it will be on Tatum to keep elevating his game to help the Celtics out. He’ll be able to make quite the statement on Sunday if he can power his side to a strong win.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Celtics, despite being the road team, hold -110 NBA betting odds to leave the Kaseya Center with a victory. As for Miami, the home side, they’ve been given +125 odds. This should prove to be a close game and it wouldn’t be a shocker to see Miami post an upset, but because of how well the Celtics have looked in recent weeks, we’re going with Boston as our pick.
coming 🔜 pic.twitter.com/eNyUTRko46
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 8, 2024
Jaylen Brown is all set to put on a show at the All-Star Game
After the tilt with Miami, Boston will get ready for an early set of games next week. After that, we will have the mid-season break and Jaylen Brown is all set to put on a show at the All-Star Game. Not only has Brown made the roster for the game, but he’s also going to be participating in the Slam-Dunk Contest. This is exciting news, as reports state Brown is the first actual All-Star player to perform in the dunk contest since 2017.
Brown is a high-flyer and he’s been a huge reason why Boston is playing so well right now. While the Celtics still have a long way to go to finish the job of bringing home the Lombardi Trophy, guys like Tatum and Brown are giving the fans plenty of reason to believe this will be a year to remember. Brown winning the dunk contest would be a lot of fun to see too and he’s no doubt going to be ready to create some magic with the world watching. Will Tatum be helping him out too?
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL
Jaylen Brown will represent the Celtics in this year's NBA Dunk Contest 😤🍀 pic.twitter.com/d2elukbJmc
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) February 8, 2024
“If he asked me, I would be open to it,” Tatum said about potentially helping out Brown. “I don’t know, officially, if he’s announced that he’s in it, but I think it would be great for him to participate in it; kind of bring back that star power to the dunk contest that we want to see; all the big name guys be in it; that’s how I grew up watching it. So, I would love for him to be in it, and I would love for him to win, and I think it would be exciting to see.”
There’s going to be a loaded field for the dunk contest and Brown is going to have some stiff competition to come out on top. Having said that, he’s got incredible leaping ability and people all over Boston and Massachusetts are hoping he’ll be able to lift the trophy high into the sky once everything is all said and done. It will be interesting to see how Brown does, but we sure are excited to see him in action.
Celtics keep seeing their NBA Finals odds climb
In more exciting news for Boston, the Celtics keep seeing their NBA Finals odds climb. This is not a shocker at all, as Boston has been downright sensational this year. As of this writing, Boston is 39-12. With that record, they not only have the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they also hold the best record in the NBA. That really speaks volumes to their level of play.
According to the oddsmakers, the Celtics hold +325 NBA Finals betting odds, which has them right at the top with the Denver Nuggets. Denver won it all last season, but people continue to think that Boston will be capturing the glory and taking the trophy home to Massachusetts this spring. It would be great to see it happen, no doubt.
