NBA Picks: Southeast Division rivals clash on Monday night as the Miami Heat visit the Washington Wizards. These two teams are expected to battle with the Atlanta Hawks all season for the division lead. The Heat beat the Wizards 107-95 earlier this season so this is a revenge game for Washington. Here is a look at the matchup and NBA picks.
Heat Ready to Sizzle with Wade Back
Miami has been up and down through the early part of the season in large part because Dwyane Wade has been dealing with injuries. He was expected back on Sunday so he should play on Monday in Washington. Not only has Wade been out but newcomer Luol Deng has started slowly this season.
“It’s been a tough process,” Deng said. “But I’m not panicking or dropping my head or anything.”
Deng is trying to find his way on a team that has Wade and Chris Bosh. So far it has been a work in progress but the team looks ready to take off with Wade healthy again. “We’re all here. We’re all hard workers, and we believe we’ll get there,” Deng said, “It’s all about patience. There will be progress. I think everyone in the locker room believes in what we can be. There is going to be ups and downs, but it’s just about everyone coming in and working every day.” The Heat are averaging 97 points per game this season and allowing 97 per contest.
Wizards Struggling Early in Games
The Wizards have struggled in the first quarter this season and even though Washington has a winning record, the slow starts are a problem. Before Saturday’s game against New Orleans the Wizards had scored 21, 19 and 18 points, respectively, in their last three opening quarters. They came back to beat Milwaukee but they couldn’t recover against Atlanta or Cleveland. The Cavs led 31-18 after the first quarter and the game was over.
“We pretty much trailed start to finish, so we got to do a better job of starting games,” Paul Pierce said. Washington was also struggling at home to cover games as they were just 2-5 ATS in their first seven home games. They went over in five of their seven home games.
Series Notes
The Miami Heat have taken six of the last ten in this series including the win in late October at home. They have won six of the last ten in Washington with the last four going over.
NBA Picks
We’ll take the points with the Miami Heat on Monday night.
