Marcus Smart and Al Horford have been ruled out of Tuesday's game, and that should give the Heat a significant advantage. While the home team won't have Kyle Lowry, the absence of Boston's top playmaker and rebounder is more impactful. If you combine those factors with the fact the Robert Williams will have to hold down Bam Adebayo after missing four games, Miami seems like the easy choice against the spread.

I echo a lot of what Mike Barner said. The Heat will be without Kyle Lowry but that's probably better at this point as bad as he looked in the two games he played in the previous series vs. Philly, and Miami is well-rested. Boston is on a quick turnaround after finishing the Bucks on Sunday, and it sounds like the C's will not have NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart. This ML is starting to tick up a bit, so I'm guessing the books know something already on Smart.

The Celtics beat the Heat in two of three regular-season meetings, including one with Jimmy Butler on the bench, while the Heat won the most recent meeting in Boston. Two of the three games stayed under the total. The Celtics' top-ranked defense has gone 7-0-1 ATS in their last eight as a road underdog, but the Heat are 8-1 ATS in their last nine at home. That Miami home edge has grown and helped them be the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA. Heat to win Game 1, money-line.

The Celtics have a quick turnaround from their Game 7 victory over the Bucks on Sunday. To complicate matters, Marcus Smart (foot) is listed as questionable. The Heat have had four days off to rest, and they will play Game 1 at home, where they went 29-12 during the regular season. Kyle Lowry (hamstring) is out again, but the Heat have actually played better without him. In fact, they have won all six games that he has missed in the playoffs. Look for the Heat to start things off with a win on their home floor.