Celtics vs Heat Game 7 Opening Odds, Picks and Preview

• The Miami Heat host the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals
• Heat star Jimmy Butler erupted for 47 points in a must-win Game 6
• See the  Celtics vs Heat Game 7 odds, preview and prediction below

The Butler did it.

A monumental Jimmy Butler performance brought the Miami Heat back from the brink, spearheading a 111-103 win in Boston over the Celtics in Game 6, setting up a winner-take-all at FTX Arena Sunday (May 29).

The winner grabs the Eastern Conference crown, and a berth to the NBA Finals, with the Golden State Warriors waiting.

Despite Boston missing their best chance to clinch, oddsmakers have opened the lines with the Celtics as 2.5-point road favorites.

Celtics vs Heat Game 7 Odds

Odds as of May 27th at FanDuel

It all gets underway at 8:30pm ET, in a game that can be seen live on ESPN.

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Celtics vs Heat Betting Analysis

Jimmy Butler may not be a top-10 player, but his playoff resume is dotted with top-10 performances. Friday night was another gem, dropping a playoff career-high 47 points, adding nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Playoff career-high 47 points for Jimmy Butler forces Game 7.

Unreal performance. pic.twitter.com/d0squpDS9J

— NBA (@NBA) May 28, 2022

Most importantly, he had help. The much maligned backcourt of Kyle Lowry and Max Strus finally made some impact. Lowry finished with 18 points and 10 assists, while Strus, who had missed 14 straight shots heading into Game 6, had 13 points and went 3-for-8 from three-point range.

As a team, the Heat went 15-for-35 from three-point range, a major upgrade from the 7-for-45 abomination from distance last game.

Kyle Lowry is the first player in NBA history to have a statline

15 points and 10 assists in a elimination game, above the age of 32

Bounce Back Game pic.twitter.com/SK7VVziTDJ

— HEATMUSE (@HEATmuse) May 28, 2022

The Celtics, meanwhile, missed their chance to punch their 22nd Finals appearance in franchise history. While Jayson Tatum had 30 points, nine rebounds and four assists, he also coughed it up seven times, part of 17 Boston turnovers.

His running mate, Jaylen Brown, faded after a strong first half, finishing with 20 points, six boards, five dimes and three steals. He also had four turnovers.

White for the lead!!! pic.twitter.com/I0jnKjJxj6

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 28, 2022

Veterans Al Horford and Marcus Smart struggled to hold their end of the bargain, with Smart going 4-for-15 from the field, and 1-for-9 from deep en route to 14 points. Horford, who was saddled with foul trouble early, finished 1-for-8 from the field for three points.

They also wasted a spectacular Derrick White game, who came off the bench to pour in 22 points, including a 4-for-7 mark from deep, while adding five assists. It was his best scoring night since joining the Celtics in midseason.

Celtics vs Heat Pick

Here’s hoping you took a chance on the Heat’s distant title odds after they lost Game 5. They’re at home, with a chance to close out the Celtics. This will be Boston’s third time facing elimination in the playoffs, as they rallied from 3-2 down to knock off the Bucks.

Does Butler have another jaw-dropper in store? This does have shades of the bubble, when he went toe-to-toe with LeBron and the Lakers in the Finals, dropping a 35-point triple-double, before fizzling out in Game 6 for just 12 points.

The C’s are a solid 6-2 away from home these playoffs, while the Heat are 7-2 at home — but both those are their most recent losses, both to Boston.

Heat stun the Celtics in Boston. Game 7 on Sunday. That guarantees the Warriors three more days of between series rest than their Finals opponent. They had a two-day rest advantage over Grizzlies and Mavericks and beat both in Game 1.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 28, 2022

Both teams are laboring down the home stretch, the effects of a brutal seven-game series, but that under is super low, though the teams put up just 173 last time out in Miami. For the Heat, we’re still not sure if Tyler Herro (groin) will play. He’s missed three straight games.

Meanwhile, Robert Williams III is steal in-and-out with a knee ailment, while Smart is literally injured all over his body.

"Heat culture win."@heydb signs off from an epic Game 6 in Boston. pic.twitter.com/URlofTFneB

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 28, 2022

This one is going to be a slugfest. And in the slimmest of margins, even with Butler potentially gassed, side with the home team.

There have been 145 Game 7’s in NBA Playoff history, and the visitors have won just 34 — though the most recent was last round, when the Mavericks went into Phoenix to knock off the Suns.

The pick: Heat +2.5 (-110)