NBA Game of the Week: Celtics vs. Heat

Thursday night will be a top Eastern Conference matchup when the No. 1 Boston Celtics take on the No. 6 ranked Miami Heat.

This will only be the second matchup between the teams this season. The two played back in October where the Celtics won 119-111. It was the first meeting between the teams since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals where Miami took the win.

Between the two teams, there is a little bit of a rivalry which makes this game of the week more interesting. The two have met in the Eastern Conference Finals three times in the past four years.

Going further back, these two teams have had six playoff series including 37 games played since 2010. Miami will need a win Thursday night to keep this match-up interesting as we get closer to the playoffs.

Back in October, it was an evenly matched game. Throughout the game, there were six ties along with six different lead changes. However, it is a completely changed matchup in this meeting.

A little more than halfway through the NBA season, the Celtics are working their way out of a mid-season slump, after starting strong and only currently losing one game at home. They moved their way back up to No. 1 in the NBA Power Rankings this week.

The Miami Heat are currently on a three-game losing streak. Going into this week on Wednesday they will face the No. 25 Memphis Grizzlies, which should be an easy win to break their losing streak. Looking ahead to Thursday night is when they will be tested again against the Celtics.

One of the biggest problems for Miami in this part of the season is the injuries affecting the team. Star rookie Jamie Jaquez has been out for the last four games and is still a game-time decision.

Jimmy Butler for the Heat is also coming back from an injury after missing 12 games since December 20, 2023. With an improvement in stats for the last few games, he should be a full force and give the Celtics defense some trouble.

Not only is Miami dealing with injury problems but they have not been producing and executing well on offense. At this time in the season, it is the worst stretch of offense in their last four games shooting 101.3 points per 100 possessions.

With Miami experiencing their worst offense, the Celtics seem to be on their best stretch of defense this year, despite their current loss to the Denver Nuggets. However, their last five games have been played against the top 10 weakest offenses in the league. This could be the impact on their dominant defense.

It will be interesting to see how these teams match up against each other. Boston will be coming off of a two-day rest. Miami will be playing at home for the second night in a row. You can watch the game on January 25, 2024, on TNT with a 7:30 PM EST tip-off.

Hannah Valcourt is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her please email hav5095@psu.edu