Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
Where: Quicken Loans Arena — Cleveland, Ohio
When: Monday, March 6, 2017, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Miami Heat (+8) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (-8); total: 215.0 – view all NBA lines
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Betting on the Miami Heat (29-34)
For the Heat to record back-to-back wins against the Cavs this coming Monday, they will need to get another huge performance from Hassan Whiteside. The North Carolina native was a force down low for Miami on Friday, scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 boards against the reigning NBA champions. Whiteside has been a vital cog in Miami’s success this season, leading the team not only in rebounds (14.1 RPG) but also in blocks (2.0 BPG) as well. He’s also averaging a career-best 16.7 points per game for Miami this campaign.
Whiteside and the rest of the Heat will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Cavs side that is ninth-worst in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing a whopping 106.5 points per game this season. They wreaked havoc against that Cleveland D on Friday, shooting 52.3 percent from the field. The Heat, in particular, were sizzling from beyond the arc, nailing 18 of their 34 3-point attempts. Goran Dragic shot 4-of-5 from downtown in that contest, en route to posting a team-high 23 points against the Cavs.
Miami is 7-3 SU and ATS in its last 10 road games.
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers (42-19)
The Cleveland Cavaliers could be forgiven for their lackluster showing against Miami on Friday. Not only did the Cavs miss the services of JR Smith and Kevin Love in that ballgame due to injury, they also decided to rest All-Star duo LeBron James and Kyrie Irving for that Eastern Conference clash. Expect the defending champs to bounce back strongly in their rematch with the Heat with James and Irving set to return to the starting lineup. The last time they started for Cleveland, James and Irving combined for 81 points against the Hawks. The Cavs were red-hot from downtown in that contest, dropping an NBA-record 25 three-pointers against Atlanta.
Also making his debut for Cleveland this coming Monday is Andrew Bogut. He’s the fourth addition to Cleveland’s defending championship team since January 1, joining Kyle Korver, Derrick Williams and Deron Williams. Bogut was averaging 3.0 points and 8.3 rebounds for Dallas when he was traded to Philadelphia last February 23. The Aussie big man cleared waivers last week and signed for the remainder of the season with the Cavs for about $385,000. He’ll provide a much-needed interior presence for the Cavs who are averaging just 39.0 points per game inside the paint this season. That’s second-worst in the NBA this campaign.
Cleveland is 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS in its last eight home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Cleveland (-8) destroys Miami, 117-94.
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