The Miami Heat come into this first round of the Play-In Tournament having won back-to-back games when they head out on the road to Philadelphia when they take on the 76ers in this showdown on Wednesday night. We take a look at this matchup to make a Heat-76ers prediction and pick.

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami (47-37) looked like they were on their way to defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the Play-In tournament after a dominant first half but an injury to Jimmy Butler in that first half slowed down their momentum leading to their demise down the stretch as Joel Embiid and the 76ers made a miraculous comeback.

After the game, it was revealed that Butler would be out for some weeks but that didn't stop the Miami Heat from downing the Chicago Bulls in a loser-goes-home matchup in their final Play-In game.

Now, the Heat will take on the number one team in the NBA the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs and they will do so without their star player Jimmy Butler. However, if there is one thing that is for certain Erik Spoelstra will have his Miami Heat team ready to battle it out when they head out on the road to Boston in hopes of taking game one in this Sunday afternoon showdown.

Boston Celtics (64-18) finished the regular season with the best record not only in the Eastern Conference by a comfortable margin but also in the entire NBA. They ended the regular season with seven wins in their last 10 games and they have had the Heat's number this season winning three out of four.

They will be getting a Miami Heat team that will be limping into this first-round matchup with numerous injuries to key players like Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier which will be key in this matchup.

However, the Celtics can not take a team like the Heat lightly because they are still battle-tested and spearheaded by one of the top coaches in the NBA. The Celtics will look to continue their historic run to the NBA title when they play host to the Miami Heat in this Sunday matchup.

MIAMI HEAT VS. BOSTON CELTICS FANDUEL ODDS FOR ARR. 21

MONEY LINE

• MIAMI HEAT: +700
• BOSTON CELTICS: -1100

SPREAD

• MIAMI HEAT: +14 (-108)
• BOSTON CELTICS: -14 (-112)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 209.5 (-112)
• UNDER 209.5? (-108)

BEST ODDS FOR MIAMI HEAT VS. BOSTON CELTICS

• The Boston Celtics are -14-point favorites against the Miami Heat. BetMGM currently has the best odds at -13.5 (-110)
• The Miami Heat are the underdogs by 14 points to cover the spread. FanDuel currently has the best odds at +14 (-108)
• FanDuel currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 209.5 (-112) for the over, and (-108) for the under

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MIAMI HEAT VS. BOSTON CELTICS INJURY REPORT

MIAMI HEAT INJURY REPORT

• DUNCAN ROBINSON - QUES SUN - SPIN
• JIMMY BUTLER - OUT - KNEE
• TERRY ROZIER - OUT - NECK
• JOSH RICHARDSON - OUT FOR SEASON - SHOULDER

BOSTON CELTICS INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT

• LUKE KORNET - OUT SUN - CALF

WHY MIAMI HEAT WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Miami Heat were able to defy the odds and make it to the postseason without their star forward Jimmy Butler and their newest addition to the team Terry Rozier by downing the Chicago Bulls with relative ease. Now, they look to defy the odds again when they take on the best team in the entire NBA and one of the best historically in the NBA the Boston Celtics.

While the Heat will be without two of their best scorers and defenders in Butler and Rozier, they have done well to rally around the players they still do have on the court.

In their win against the Bulls, Tyler Herro and Jaime Jacquez Jr. were the sparks that the Heat needed as they combined for 45 points.

It was also the defensive tenacity that the Heat brought in that game which was the difference maker. They held the Bulls to just 38% shooting from the floor and 30% from 3-point range. The Heat is also known for their great defense which is in large part due to head coach Erik Spoelestra's great gameplanning.

Even though the Heat will be at a disadvantage due to the loss of their star players they still can make this a tough matchup for league-leading Celtics and potentially cover the spread and surprise everyone with an outright win.

WHY BOSTON CELTICS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Boston Celtics are the odds-on favorite to win it all this season and for good reason. They have been historically good and they've been dominant for the entire NBA season. The Celtics will be looking to continue their dominance on Sunday when they welcome their rivals the Miami Heat to town.

MVP-hopeful Jayson Tatum has been leading the charge averaging 26.9 ppg to go along with 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.

However, this Celtics team as a whole is one of the most stacked teams in Celtics history with players like,

• Jaylen Brown (23 ppg)
• Kristaps Porzingis (20.1 ppg, 7.2 reb, 1.9 blk)
• Derrick White (15.2 ppg)
• Jrue Holiday (12.5 ppg, 42.9 3p%)

They also are top-10 in all most offensive and defensive categories:

Top-10 in all most offensive categories

Top-10 in all most defensive categories

The Celtics seem to be destined to do great things this postseason but their first task at hand is to get past the Miami Heat and with the way things are going they have a great opportunity to not only win their first game of the series but also cover the spread as well.

FINAL HEAT-CELTICS PICK & PREDICTION

The Miami Heat have some uphill sledding ahead of them going against the top-seeded Boston Celtics. The Heat are missing key players that could eventually be their demise in this matchup and while they have done a great job covering the spread over their last 10 games, going against the Celtics is a whole different animal.

While it isn't for the faint at heart to lay 14 points, it is recommended here when the team you're laying points with is the Boston Celtics against a Miami Heat team without Jimmy Butler.

As long as Jayson Tatum and company do what they do best in this home matchup as expected they should come away with another dominant outing against the Heat in this first-round matchup.

FINAL HEAT-CELTICS PICK & PREDICTION: BOSTON CELTICS -14 (-112)

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