It’s still very hard to believe that as we’ve reached Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics could get swept tonight by the Miami Heat. Last year when these two teams matched up, the ECF series went the distance to seven games. However, the Celtics continue to fall apart in the second half throughout this year's series and the Heat have capitalized on Boston's mistakes and cold shooting. Miami completely took it to the Celtics in Game 3 and defeated the defending Eastern Conference champs by 26 points. Boston shot under 40% last game while Miami shot nearly 57% from the field. Miami hasn’t lost at home this postseason and they’ve shot over 54% in two of three games of this series. If Miami wins, they’ll become just the second eighth seed to make it to the NBA Finals in the history of the league. Here are tonight’s prioritized DFS NBA plays and daily fantasy basketball picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for this NBA Playoffs Celtics vs Heat Game 4.

 

Celtics vs Heat Game 4 Injury Report

Boston Celtics Injuries:

 Miami Heat Injuries:

 

NBA DFS Picks Celtics vs Heat Game 4

MVP/Captain 

Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

Last game’s blowout lowered Butler’s playing time and production ceiling. We’re used to seeing him play 40-plus minutes, but with the Heat up so big last game, he played just 31 minutes and took 13 shots. That's opposed to the 25 shot attempts he logged in his previous two battles. Butler was still efficient on the glass by pulling down eight boards for the third time in four games and he dropped at least six dimes in each of his last three outings. Butler will continue to have a limitless shot-ceiling when on the court and he’s the best two-way player of anyone on either team. He stole the rock 11 times in total over his last three contests. Boston continues to be careless with the ball and Butler has taken advantage by stealing the ball more. He spends plenty of time bringing up the ball and he’ll continue to be a multi-category producer. Butler doesn’t even need to shoot three-pointers to be productive and he’ll continue destroying Boston in the paint. With tonight’s game expected to be more competitive, Butler will be on the floor more and he should hit at least the 20-point mark. He’s shot 48 percent from the field in two of three outings this series.    

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Tatum notched a double-double for the third time in his last four contests, but, he didn’t shoot well and played fewer minutes than in previous games. He hasn’t been able to get it going from beyond the arc and if Boston is going to have any chance to claw their way back into this series, he’s going to have to hit long-range shots. We should see Tatum take 23-28 shots with the season on the line for the Celtics and he’ll have plenty of time to bring up the ball. Tatum hasn’t been contributing as many assists in this series. He’ll need to return to the form that we’re used to seeing him in during most other games and if the threes aren’t falling, he can’t get discouraged and just needs to continue attacking the rim and not settle for as many low-percentage jumpers. Tatum has strong ball-handling ability, especially in the lane and he should try to force his way to the basket. Tatum did grab multiple steals for the fourth time over his last six contests. Tatum should be looking at over 40 minutes of action tonight and we’ve seen him hit the 30-point mark in scoring in two of three games against Miami. 

Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

The Heat were shooting so well that they didn’t even really need Adebayo’s offense in the post and after just playing 26 minutes in the blowout, he should play around 40 minutes tonight. Adebayo still scored 13 points and hit all but one shot. The Heat have had a lot of success producing in the post. Adebayo has logged two 20-plus point games against Boston and with him on the court more tonight, he’ll likely be utilized more in the paint. Robert Williams and Al Horford continue to be powerless against Adebayo in the post. It may take down his assist potential, but Adebayo should play more off the ball for the remainder of the series because he’s been so deadly on offense in the paint. On the defensive side of the ball, Adebayo stole the ball for the fifth time in his last six games and he swatted away shots in three games during that span. Boston has done a poor job of defending Adebayo. They are very focused on limiting Butler that they don’t really put the extra defender on Adebayo. Adebayo has pulled down a total of 28 rebounds through three games of this series. He’s had a very strong series and still deserves CPT/MVP consideration if you’re looking for someone with lower ownership for DFS tonight than Tatum or Butler. 

Utility

Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics

Smart will need to do a better job watching the arc on defense because the Heat shot strongly from the outside in game three. Smart didn’t hit double figures in scoring for the second straight game, but, he still produced enough in other areas as he grabbed eight rebounds. Smart is aggressive and will fight for loose balls. He should play 35-40 minutes tonight as it would be shocking for the Heat to be up as big as they were last time with Boston on the brink of elimination. Smart just didn’t shoot well last game and Boston in general was cold from the field. Smart has taken advantage of open lanes on offense and he’s had some success getting to the basket. Smart dropped eight dimes in game three and he’s hit that mark in two of three games in this series. He’ll still have a ton of time with the ball unlike the other guards and with the Celtics needing to watch the arc more carefully, it would be surprising to see Smart play fewer than 35 minutes. He’s known for his defense and Boston will need him to keep the Heat uncomfortable when shooting from deep. Smart has hit the 30-point mark on DraftKings in two out of three games versus the Heat. 

Caleb Martin, Miami Heat

Martin continues to put up strong performances and he’s getting rewarded by receiving more minutes. Martin would have played 30-35 minutes even if the game was close. He’s been helpful on both sides of the ball. On offense, he’s taken 11 shots or more in every game this series and hit at least 54 percent of his field goals. He’s hit over 42 percent of his outside shots in every game in the conference finals and he’s scored no fewer than 15 points. Martin has sunk three or more three-pointers in all three games versus Boston. He’s also been facilitating a bit on offense and he’s dished a few assists in multiple games in this series. When playing off the ball, Martin is constantly on the move setting screens on the side of the basket and finding openings at the arc. He gets a lot of open looks from downtown, especially when Boston’s defense isn’t set and multiple players are chasing whoever has the ball. On the defensive end, we can count on him to grab a few rebounds to increase his DFS production and he’s stolen the ball in five straight outings and even swatted away shots in two of his last three contests. He’s been a key player for the Heat this series and he’s been a very reliable shooter and Miami will keep feeding him. 

Gabe Vincent, Miami Heat

Vincent plays a lot of minutes, but he hasn’t taken a lot of shots in this series. It was encouraging seeing him score 15 points in game 1 after seeing him take just six shots. Vincent exploded in game three by hitting 11 shots while shooting over 78 percent from the field and the Heat should look to feature him more on offense. His role was originally supposed to be more of a shooting role but the Heat changed that during the season and they’ve allowed him to bring up the ball more, but with Tyler Herro still out, he’ll be needed to sink shots. He’s hit 60 percent of his three-pointers or more in two of three games in this series. We should see Vincent take 7-12 shots tonight and while he hasn’t been that productive on the glass or compiling assists, he’s recorded blocks in two of three games and he’s logged at least one steal in seven straight contests. He’s been feisty on the defensive end especially while getting screened. He’ll play around 40 minutes tonight and he’s earned a bigger role in the Heat’s offense and unlike other players like Kevin Love and even Duncan Robinson, Vincent is more mobile and he’s able to find openings at the elbow and arc. 

Dart Throws

Kyle Lowry, Miami Heat

Lowry should play around 30 minutes tonight and he’s shot 50 percent from the field in two games against the Celtics. He had one game in which he was cold shooting from the field, but the Heat will need to rely on Lowry’s veteran presence to get them over the hump against a desperate Celtics team. Lowry should be looking at five to 10 shots tonight and he’s been efficient shooting the ball for the most part this series, even from long-range. Lowry has also dropped at least four dimes in eight of his last nine battles. He’s pulled down three or more boards in three of his last four games and even blocked a shot in four of his last five outings. Lowry has done a good job of keeping the offense organized and even though he’s a bit older now, he’ll still sacrifice his body to keep plays alive. With Herro and Victor Oladipo sidelined, there’s room for more than one guard to play significant minutes and be productive in the Heat's lineup. Lowry has scored 21 points on DraftKings in two of three games this series. 

Robert Williams, Boston Celtics

The Celtics are better off starting Williams and playing him more minutes. Boston hasn’t had an answer for Adebayo in the post, but Williams has been productive on the offensive side of the ball scoring no fewer than eight points in this series and he hit all of his shots in two of three outings games against Miami. Williams should play 25-30 minutes tonight with the season on the line and the Celtics have no reason not to play Williams. If he’s having success on the low block, the Celtics should take a page out of the Heat’s playbook and keep feeding the open big guy in the post. The Celtics have been panicky on offense as this series has continued, but, if they show patience and take a few extra seconds to see where everyone is positioned, Williams often has good positioning in the post and they can easily dump the ball inside to him. He’s blocked three shots in this series and he’s pulled down seven-plus boards in two of his last three contests. If Williams is coming off the bench, his production ceiling will lower, and other options should be considered for DFS. He can still produce even coming off the bench, but with the uncertainty of how much playing time he’ll get, he’s a big-time dart throw tonight. 

Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat

Robinson is another dictionary definition of “dart throw” because he is very scoring-dependent, but, he’s been hitting his shots and he’s taken at least nine in both of his last two games. Robinson doesn’t have much size so even while battling in the post, he often loses out on grabbing the rebound when the ball goes up. He’s out there to shoot and he’s hit eight three-pointers combined over his last couple of games. With Robinson shooting as efficiently as he has, let’s go back to him tonight thinking he’ll play another 20 minutes. He’s hit the 20-point mark on DraftKings in back-to-back games and with him being as cheap as he is, it’ll allow you to save money and invest in a more expensive player on FanDuel and DraftKings. If the shots aren’t falling for Robinson, you could be looking at just a few points of production in DFS, but, the Heat pay him to hit three’s and he’ll certainly have his opportunities tonight after shooting over 63 percent in both of his last two battles. 

 

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