TREND IS YOUR FRIEND

The Celtics losing to the Heat on Wednesday was the eighth time this postseason that a home team dropped Game 1. How did the first seven fare in Game 2?

• Cavaliers (-5.5) vs. Knicks: 107-90 win
• Suns (-8) vs. Clippers: 123-109 win
• Grizzlies (+1) vs. Lakers: 103-93 win
• Bucks (-5.5) vs. Heat: 138-122 win
• Knicks (-10) vs. Heat: 111-105 win
• Celtics (-7.5) vs. 76ers: 121-87 win
• Warriors (-7) vs. Lakers: 127-100 win

For those scoring at home, that’s 7-0 straight up, 6-1 ATS and an average victory margin of 17.7 points. This situation has been cashing consistently since 2019.

The Celtics are currently -9.5 over the Heat.