Boston Celtics (35-13, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Miami Heat (26-22, sixth in the Eastern Conference)
Miami; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST
: Heat -1.5
BOTTOM LINE: Jayson Tatum leads Boston into a matchup against Miami. He ranks third in the NBA scoring 31.0 points per game.
The Heat have gone 10-13 against Eastern Conference teams. Miami has the league's lowest-scoring offense averaging just 108.6 points per game.
The Celtics have gone 20-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is second in the league scoring 118.1 points per game while shooting 47.5%.
The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Heat won the last meeting 120-116 in overtime on Dec. 3, with Bam Adebayo scoring 28 points in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Lowry is averaging 12.8 points and 5.4 assists for the Heat. Adebayo is averaging 18.9 points and 9.3 rebounds while shooting 55.7% over the past 10 games for Miami.
Marcus Smart is averaging 11.1 points and 7.2 assists for the Celtics. Tatum is averaging 29.8 points over the last 10 games for Boston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Heat: 6-4, averaging 107.2 points, 43.9 rebounds, 22.1 assists, 9.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.8 points per game.
Celtics: 9-1, averaging 116.3 points, 47.7 rebounds, 27.0 assists, 5.8 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.1 points.
INJURIES: Heat: Nikola Jovic: out (back), Omer Yurtseven: out (ankle), Duncan Robinson: out (finger).
Celtics: Danilo Gallinari: out for season (knee), Malcolm Brogdon: day to day (personal), Robert Williams III: day to day (knee), Marcus Smart: day to day (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by and data from .
The Associated Press
