Cleveland bounced back from its sorry loss to Brooklyn with a nerve-wracking one-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. The Cavs will look to make it back-to-back wins when they take on the Miami Heat who are fresh off a 14-point thumping at the hands of the defending champion San Antonio Spurs?
Can LeBron James finally grab a victory against this former team? Or will the Heat continue their dominance against the man who helped bring them two NBA titles? Read on below for a preview of this critical Eastern Conference matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder here.
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Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview
Miami’s playoff bid took a huge knock as the Heat suffered a demoralizing 95-81 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night. It was Miami’s fourth defeat in its last six games as they slid down to 34-40, just one game above ninth-placed Boston in the tight Eastern Conference standings.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Heat once again had no answer for Kawhi Leonard who exploded for 22 points in addition to his nine rebounds and four steals. This was the fifth consecutive time that Leonard scored at least 20 points against them. Leonard also was a thorn in the Heat’s side on the defensive end. He held Dwyane Wade to a woeful 6-for-20 shooting night.
That was a surprise considering Wade was coming off a 40-point performance against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Wade has been crucial to the Heat’s success this season, leading the team in scoring (21.7 PPG) and assists (5.0 APG).
With Luol Deng still possibly out with a knee injury, the onus is on Wade to carry the scoring load even further for the Heat. Wade will fancy his chances, though, of regaining his scoring touch against the Cavs. He’s averaging 31.5 points in Miami’s two games with Cleveland this season. Miami won those games by an average of 12 points.
There was a silver lining for the Heat, though, in their defeat to the Spurs, as prized big man Hassan Whiteside finally made his much-awaited return to the starting lineup. Whiteside scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in 23 minutes of action in his first game since injuring his hand against the Bucks on March 24. Whiteside is having a spectacular season for the Heat, averaging 11 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.48 blocks per game.
The Heat are 3-7 SU and ATS in their last 10 games on the road.
The Cleveland Cavaliers survived a mighty scare on Sunday as they narrowly defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 87-86. The win preserved the Cavs’ 2 ½ game lead on the Bulls for second place in the Eastern Conference with just seven games remaining in their schedule.
Four starters scored in double-figures for Cleveland, which is 29-7 since January 13. Leading the way for the Cavs was LeBron James who put up 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in another magnificent all-around performance. It has been that way all season for the Cavs with James leading the team not only in points (25.7 PPG) but also in assists (7.3 APG) and steals (1.6 SPG) as well.
It has been a brutal stretch for the Cavs, who have played 14 of their last 19 games on the road. But a three-day break will help recharge their batteries for the final stretch in the regular season which starts this Thursday against the Heat. James has had difficulty dealing with his former team this season, going winless against them in two meetings thus far.
Although he’s averaging 28 points and six assists per game against Miami this season, James has also committed a whopping eight turnovers in those two games against the Heat. Much of the credit behind James’ struggles should go to Luol Deng who has done an exquisite job in playing tough, honest defense against the four-time MVP.
With Deng possibly sidelined for this game with a knee contusion, though, the path is clear for James to wreak havoc against a Miami defense that is allowing just 96.8 PPG this season, third-fewest in the NBA.
The Cavs are 10-0 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 home games.
