NBA Player Props for Today (March 14 ): Celtics vs Heat Betting Odds and Best Bets

It's Friday, March 14, and there's a classic eastern conference rival showdown between the Boston Celtics (47-19, 24-7 away) and the Miami Heat (29-36, 15-16 home) tonight!

 (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The good ole Joe Mazzulla vs Erik Spoelstra coaching battle. Two of the best in the business, the Celtics and the Heat, have had a long-standing rivalry. Even in the Jimmy Butler-less era, Celtics fans can't forget the gut-wrenching game seven loss to Miami in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Defeating Miami 4-1 in the first round of the NBA playoff last season, it's always a fun matchup between the two teams.

-8 point favorites on the road, the Celtics and Heat have a long list of players on the injury report. With that said, will we see the hospital Celtics?

• Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jaylen Brown are all questionable to lace up today.

Odds Are Current As Of March 14 AT 9 A.M. ET

If you're looking to bet on the Celtics vs Heat matchup, welcome!

With tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. ET, the matchup will air on NBA TV at Kaseya Center. With an NBA betting record of 29-17, let's cash out today! After all, it's Friday. Let's head into the weekend, flashing all greens.

This Miami Heat team hasn't lived up to the standards of years past and is the No. 9 play-in seed. With a slim 1.5-game lead over the Bulls for the No. 9 spot, the stakes are high for the Heat. We've seen how they've performed as a play-in tournament team in years past. Can they break their five-game losing streak against the ailing Celtics?

Are you looking to bet on NBA player props? Here at Ballislife Bets, we've gathered a complete list of the best sports betting offers here. 

NBA Best Bets: Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat FanDuel Betting Odds For March 14

MONEYLINE

• BOSTON CELTICS: -310
• MIAMI HEAT: +250

SPREAD

• BOSTON CELTICS: -8 (-109
• MIAMI HEAT: +8 (-112)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER: 214 (-110)
• UNDER: 214 (-110)

Last Five H2H Matchups: Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat

• February 10, 2025: Celtics 103, Heat 85 (Boston-8.5 under 210.5)
• December 2, 2024: Celtics 108, 89 (Boston -9.5, under 220)
• May 1, 2024: Celtics 118, Heat 94 (Boston -13.5, over 201.5)
• April 29, 2024: Celtics 102, Heat 88 (Boston -10.5, under 204.5)
• April 27, 2024: Celtics 104, Heat 84 (Boston -9.5, under 205.5)

  Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Injury Report

CELTICS

1. Jaylen Brown, SG: Questionable
2. Al Horford, C: Questionable
3. Kristaps Porzingis, C: Questionable
4. Jayson Tatum, F: Questionable
5. Derrick White, PG: Questionable

HEAT

1. Alec Burks, G: OUT
2. Nikola Jovic, F: OUT
3. Dru Smith, G: OUT

Best Totals Bet: Celtics vs Heat

Celtics O/U Record: 30-35-1
Heat O/U Record: 34-31-0

• Under 215 Points (-112 FanDuel)

I've been watching this Celtics vs Heat rivalry for sometime, and I can't remember a time where the Heat exploded on offense against Boston.

Post Jimmy Butler era, the Heat have gone ice cold. When I mean frigid, I mean frigid. Miami is going through a miserable five game losing streak, one in which the offense has been abysmal. Failing to score over 110 points, the Heat are averaging a miserable 105.2 points per game over that span. Of all 30 teams in the NBA, the Heat are putting up the fewest points in the league over the last five games.

• An issue in years past, they average the sixth least points per game in the NBA with 109.9.

Even with the addition of Andrew Wiggins from the Warriors, one would think the Heat would produce some sort of higher offense with Terry Rozier, Bam Adebayo, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Davion Mitchell. With Tyler Herro taking a huge plunge as the Heat's scoring leader, the production has been nil behind Wiggins and Adebayo.

The Miami Heat Lack Consistency, Star Power

It's not that the Heat can't shoot, they average 46.4 percent from the floor, and 35.7 percent as a team. To me, there's been a lack of super stardom post Butler era. With inconsistent scoring, Herro can't take on the heavy lifting himself.

Since Butler's last game in South Beach, the Heat are shooting the fourth worst in the NBA beyond the arc (34.4 %).

• With a 8-16 record since, Miami is averaging the third lowest points per game in the NBA (107.5).

It get's worse from a betting angle. Coming off a 119-104 loss against the Clippers, the Heat were unable to cover a favorable nine point spread in a 105-102 loss against the Hornets. Since, the Heat have taken losses against the Bulls, Timberwolves, and Cavaliers.

While four of their last five have soared over 214 points, they get the Celtics. Mind you these are two solid defenses in the NBA. With the Celtics ranking No. 5 in defensive rating, the Heat rank No. 12. While both teams rank in the top seven in opponent points per game, I don't expect there to be a ton of generated offense. Especially with the high number of possible player injuries.

The Boston Celtics Know How To Keep The Heat In Check

Here's a stat that may blow your mind. The Heat haven't scored over 89 points against the Celtics since April 2024! Averaging an abysmal 86 points over the last five head-to-head matchups, it's a testament to Boston's defense.

Not to mention, the Celtics have covered the spread in five straight against Miami, which includes large, 8.5, 9.5, 13.5, and 10.5 spreads. Due to possible injuries on Boston's front, I veered away from the spread today.

Perhaps Erik Spoelstra needs to revamp the starting lineup. Aside from Tyler Herro's 33 points and Wiggins 22 against the Clippers, the remaining starting five combined for 16 points.

• Both Adebayo and Kel'el Ware aren't notorious for their three-point shooting, so that may be the problem in itself.

What's concerning is the Heat's inability to score points no matter the opponent. Today, they face a Celtics team that's still a top five team defensively. Allowing opponents to score an average of 110 points per game, their defense has slipped a bit over the last five games. However, they allow the third least points in the NBA.

• One of the best in guarding the perimeter, they hold opponents to a third best 45.3 percent from the field.

Final NBA Best Bet Pick and Prediction: Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Under 215 Points (-112 FanDuel)

While the Celtics have been a powerhouse of a team on the offensive end, the magnitude of injuries unknown. With that, Boston hasn't scored over 110 points against the Heat this season. With both matchups against the Celtics and Heat soaring under 215, the Celtics are averaging 105.5 points in two games vs Miami. Mind you, Boston was without Horford and Porzingis for both matchups.

• Today, I'm taking the Celtics vs Heat to total under 215 points. 

Player Prop Best Bet #1: Bam Adebayo

Bam Adebayo 2024-2025 Season Stats

PPG: 17.7 | FG: 48.8 % | FT: 75.4 % | 3PT : 31 % | REB: 10 | AST: 4.4 | STL: 1.3 | BLK: 0.7

• Over 18.5 Points (-106 FanDuel)

One of my favorite player props today, I placed one unit on Heat center Bam Adebayo to record over 18.5 points vs the Celtics for -106 odds.

One of the best two-way centers in the game, Abebayo has been one of the few bright spots for the Miami amid a tumultuous season. We can forget last game offensively, where Abebayo scored six points in 35 minutes against the Clippers. With nearly more steals than points, let's look for Bam to bounce back tonight!

• Averaging 23.3 points in March, Adebayo has recorded 19+ points in six of the last seven games. While the beginning of the season was a tad inconsistent, he's picked up the slack.

Given March has been Adebayo's top performing month all season, Adebayo is averaging 21.9 points on 37.2 three-point percentage. Now that he's developing an outside shot, it will bring Miami much needed floor spacing. With another scoring option for Bam will only increase his stats.

Bam Adebayo Has Historically Cooked Against the Celtics

Forget the slow start, Adebayo has scored 19+ points in 11 of the last 14 games. And now he gets the Celtics, where he's historically cooked up against Boston.

Without Porzingis in the lineup, Adebayo has cleared this player prop line in 9 of the last 10 matchups against Boston. Averaging 21.8 over that span, there's an argument Bam played more efficient with Porzingis in the lineup. If there's one thing to know, Al Horford knows the Heat very well. Having met several times in the playoffs, Horford is a master in defending Adebayo.

• Recording 15 points against Boston in December, Abdebayo struggled mightily. One won't soar over a certain player prop line shooting 6-18 from the field.

Things didn't get much better which Bam shooting 6-17 from the field against the Celtics last month. Pouring in 22 points, it's the nine free-throw attempts that saved this prop. This might be a problem considering the Celtics allow the fewest free-throw attempts in the NBA (18.2).

Final NBA Best Bet Pick and Prediction: Bam Adebayo over 18.5 Points (-106 FanDuel)

Given the Celtics allow the seventh fewest points in the paint this season (47), Bam averages 34.5 paint points alone. Given his history against the Celtics and possible injuries, this is a strong play for today. Although the Celtics are elite defensively against centers, they allow just under 19 points to big men.

• I'm taking Bam Adebayo to score over 18.5 points today. 

Player Prop Best Bet #2: Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum 2024-2025 Season Stats

PPG: 27.2 | FG: 45.6 % | FT: 80.7 % | 3PT : 35.4 % | REB: 8.8 | AST: 5.9 | STL: 1.1 | BLK: 0.5

• Over 8.5 Rebounds (-125 DraftKings)

My third best bet and player prop for today, I placed one unit on Celtics star Jayson Tatum to record over 8.5 rebounds vs the Heat for -124 odds on DraftKings.

Tatum is once again questionable, so this prop may be voided. There's optimism he will play, which I will take all day.

With Al Horford expected to suit up, the Celtics could very well be without Kristaps Porzingis for a seventh straight game. Given the Celtics are 2-0 against the Heat this season without both centers, sitting Porzingis would be wise.

With that, Jayson Tatum is the Celtics leading rebounder with 8.8 per game. As I've mentioned in previous articles, he's been monstrous on the boards, and a main reason why Boston ranks top ten in rebounds.

Averaging 9.5 rebounds in March, we've seen Tatum have massive 12 and 11 rebound performances vs the Lakers and Nuggets. Recording 9+ rebounds in three of the last five games, Tatum is averaging 10.8 boards over that span.

• Today, Tatum get's a prime matchup with the Heat on the road. In fact, Miami allows the eighth most rebounds to power forwards (10.6 RPG), and remain one of the weaker rebounding teams in the NBA.

Final NBA Best Bet Pick and Prediction: Jayson Tatum Over 8.5 Rebounds (-125 DraftKings)

Allowing the ninth most rebounds in the NBA as a team (45.1), they've become one of the least efficient teams on the boards. Over the last 15 games, the Heat allow the 13th most defensive rebounds per game (32.4). Over their five game losing streak, they are the fifth worst team on the boards with 40.4 per game.

Overall, Tatum has recorded 11+ rebounds in four of the last five meetings against the Heat. Tallying 8 and 11 on the season, nine is looking like a solid bet!

• I'm taking Jayson Tatum to record over 8.5 rebounds today.