Celtics

Oddsmakers view the Celtics as heavy favorites for Game 7 vs. Heat

The Celtics were also heavy favorites to win the series before Game 1.

Jayson Tatum will look to see if he can have some more Game 7 magic against the Heat. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

May 28, 2023

As they have found a way to tie up the Eastern Conference finals after trailing 3-0 in the series, the Celtics are viewed as a heavy favorite to win Game 7.

The Celtics are listed as 7.5-point favorites for Monday’s Game 7 on most sportsbooks as of Sunday afternoon. In addition, Boston has -320 odds to win straight up, while Miami has +265 odds to win Game 7.

The large spread favoring the Celtics isn’t too much of a surprise, considering they were viewed as such heavy favorites to win the series prior to Game 1. The Celtics had -525 odds to win the series, while the Heat had +400 odds to win the series ahead of Game 1.

The Celtics were also favorites to win each game of the series except for Game 4, which was when the Heat had the opportunity to sweep the Celtics and advance to the NBA Finals. The Heat were 1.5-point favorites to win that game.

Game 7 also marks the first time the Celtics have become the favorites to win the series since Game 2 ended. The Heat were as big as -1200 favorites to win the series, while the Celtics held +700 odds to win the series ahead of Game 4.

In terms of player props, Jayson Tatum’s point total for Game 7 is set at 31.5. That’s a few more points than what he’s averaging for the series (27.2) but he’s scored at least 30 points in four games this series. Tatum’s averaged 28.8 points per game over the six Game 7s he’s played in his career.

Jaylen Brown’s point total is set at 24.5 for Game 7. Brown’s scoring just 19 points per game in the series, but he’s appeared to regain his shooting touch over the last two games, scoring 21 points in Game 5 and 26 points in Game 6. Brown’s scored just 16.1 points per game over the seven Game 7s he’s played in over his career. However, he came off the bench for one of them and got hurt in the first half in another one of those games. He’s scored 24 and 25 points in the last two Game 7s he’s played in.

As for the Heat, Jimmy Butler’s point total for Game 7 is set at 28.5 points. Butler’s scored 24.2 points per game through the first six games of the series, cooling off a bit after his hot start in Games 1 and 2. He’s only scored more than 28.5 points in a game twice in this series. He’s averaged 20 points per game in the three Game 7s he’s played in over his career, which includes the 35-point performance he had in Game 7 against the Celtics last season.