NBA Odds: How Al Horford’s Absence Affected Celtics-Heat Game Line
Horford was surprisingly ruled out Tuesday
The Boston Celtics will be without Marcus Smart and Al Horford for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Their absences are big losses for Boston, and bettors quickly jumped on that fact.
The public had been on the Heat heading into Game 1 when Miami were two-point favorites. Now FanDuel Sportsbook has pushed the Heat to 4.5-point favorites over the Celtics.
The moneyline on the Heat moved to -198, and the Celtics moneyline moved to +166. This means a $100 bet on Boston would pay out $266.
Horford was ruled out Tuesday after being placed in health and safety protocols. According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics are preparing for the scenario of Horford not playing in Game 2.
Boston opened as favorites to win the series, but now face an uphill battle against the Heat.
