There’s a reunion happening in South Beach this coming Thursday. On Christmas Day, LeBron James will play his first game against his former Miami Heat comrades since leaving the team back in the offseason. Will the Cleveland Cavaliers extend their win streak to four games at the expense of Miami? Or will Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Heat one-up Cleveland?
For a preview of other NBA Christmas games, you can click here for Warriors vs. Clippers and here for Lakers vs. Bulls.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat Betting Preview
LeBron James will once again take his talents to South Beach—only this time in a Cavaliers uniform. And he’ll have his two new Big Three-mates in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love tagging along, too. Both Love and Irving had awesome performances in the team’s 125-104 victory on Tuesday over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Love finished the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Irving had a game-high 29 points and four assists, while James added 24 points. The trio, however, should expect a tougher defense from a Miami team that holds opponents down to just 98.0 points per game, currently ranked ninth in the league.
That being said, the Cavs, who are on a three-game win streak, have been shooting the ball exceptionally well of late. Cleveland has shot 51.1 from the field over its last three games, and was bonkers from the three-point area during that stretch. The Cavs went a combined 28-for-62 (45.2 3FG%) in their wins over Minnesota, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Brooklyn Nets—three teams that are among the 10 worst in defending the three-point area just like Miami. Heat opponents are making 8.3 triples per game.
The Cavs could be without big man Anderson Varejao against the Heat. The Brazilian injured his left foot and ankle in the third quarter of the Minnesota game and did not return. If Varejao sits, expect either Tristan Thompson or Brendan Haywood to get the starting gig. Thompson (4.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG) scored five points and collected nine rebounds against Minnesota. Haywood, meanwhile, saw just four minutes of action and contributed just two points.
Without a doubt, life after LeBron has been a struggle for the Heat. Apparently, that life includes losing to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers, who hung a 91-87 setback on the Heat Tuesday night.
With Chris Bosh (calf) still absent, Dwyane Wade was left with most of the team’s scoring duties against the Sixers. Wade scored 17 points in the first two quarters but fizzled in the second half, where he only scored six points to finish with 23.
Wade received ample support from Shawne Williams, who contributed 17 points. Williams, though, is an extremely inconsistent player, and can’t be counted upon to have great numbers on a daily basis.
Miami’s offense, however, should get a shot in the arm against Cleveland if Bosh to returns to the lineup on Christmas. Bosh, who has missed the last five games, is considered day-to-day. Bosh is the Heat’s second leading scorer behind Wade, averaging 21.6 PPG and 8.2 RPG thus far this season. He’ll also be a big plus for the Heat’s defense, as he’ll be a solid matchup inside for Kevin Love.
The Heat can do themselves a huge favor if they can limit their turnovers. The Heat are averaging 15.6 turnovers over their last five games, which their opponents have converted into 15.2 PPG. Against the Sixers, Miami saw Philadelphia rack up 20 points off the team’s 20 giveaways.
The under is 7-3 in the Heat’s last 10 games overall.
