Following a tough loss in hand of the Toronto Raptors, the Miami Heat find themselves in the second half of a back-to-back against an Eastern Conference powerhouse tonight. They will travel for another road game against the defending champion Boston Celtics.
Boston is currently sporting a 16-4 record and sitting at the second seed in the East, but coming off a loss in their own first half of a back-to-back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Key players Derrick White and Jaylen Brown sat out of the Cavs matchup, and it is yet to be seen if they will receive the green light to return against Miami. White was dealing with a minor injury as Brown sat out due to illness. The expectation is that one or both should be good to go.
After tweaking his right knee late in the Raptors game, Jimmy Butler’s availability also is in doubt for the Heat. Neither team has released their official injury reports yet, but Butler was noncommittal when asked about his status in Boston following last night’s game. Having him in the lineup or not could drastically change the game plan for both teams.
This will be the first Heat/Celtics matchup of the 2024-25 season, and first since Boston eliminated the undermanned Heat in a five games during last postseason’s first round series. Including that playoff series and regular season matchups, the Heat were a rough 1-7 against the Celtics last year.
Regardless of the challenges this Boston offense presents, it would be the biggest bounce back victory yet that could give Miami some much needed confidence moving forward. They are looking at a 10-game stretch against plenty of contending teams— arguably the toughest part of their schedule all year long.
The key to the game is going to be matching the Celtics offense and high volume 3-point shooting. They have five All-Star caliber players who could light it up at any given time. It won’t be easy, but any Heat/Celtics matchup is always must-see TV for their storied rivalry.
Tip off is set for 7:30 PM EST on FanDuel SN Sun.
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
- NOT YET SUBMITTED.
Boston Celtics:
- NOT YET SUBMITTED.
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Miami Heat:
- Tyler Herro, G
- Duncan Robinson, G
- Jimmy Butler, F
- Haywood Highsmith, F
- Bam Adebayo, C
Boston Celtics:
- Jrue Holiday, G
- Derrick White, G
- Jaylen Brown, F
- Jayson Tatum, F
- Kristaps Porzingis, C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 7:30 PM EST
- TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Eric Reid & John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
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