Bodog Beat

Winners of five straight, the Boston Celtics face the Miami Heat tonight in a matchup of banged-up teams battling for postseason position. (AP Images)

Boston's win streak has come despite the absence of star forward Kevin Garnett, who continues to experience soreness in his right knee and has missed 18 of the last 22 games. He's back working out but isn't expected to play until Tuesday against Philadelphia at the earliest.

Rajon Rondo is picking up the slack by averaging 24.0 points and 3.0 steals while shooting 63.4 percent over his last three games.

Miami lost its last matchup at Boston 112-108 in OT on March 18. The Celtics lead the season series 2-1 and have won seven of the last eight meetings.

The favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings between these teams, while the under is 7-1-1 in the last nine meetings in Boston. Get all your NBA basketball picks in the Bodog Sportsbook before the big game.