The Brooklyn Nets will travel to AmericanAirlines Arena to play the Miami Heat. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Dec. 28 and will air on YES and SUN.
The Heat were victorious over the Magic 108-101 on Saturday. Dwyane Wade was the game’s high scorer with 24 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The Nets, meanwhile, are coming off a 111-96 loss at the hands of the Wizards on Saturday. Brook Lopez scored 19 points and recorded 11 rebounds earning his 11th double-double of the season.
Thaddeus Young has been on a tear over the last five games for the Nets, averaging 17.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks.
The inefficient offense of the Nets (28th in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 98.4) will look to break through against the top-notch defense of the Heat (fourth in the league with a defensive efficiency of 99.2). The matchup on that end of the court seems to benefit Miami.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Heat won the first game 104-98. Wade was the game’s leading scorer with 28 points.
The Heat are a heavy nine-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 195 points. The Heat enter the game with records of 18-11 Straight Up (SU) and 14-14-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 9-10 SU and 8-11 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Heat are an impressive shooting team with a .463 field-goal percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Turning to the defensive side, the Miami defense has been very good, only giving up 94.8 points per game. The Heat are the top team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 6.9 blocks per game.
On the other side, the Nets head into the game with records of 17-13 ATS and 8-22 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Brooklyn has gone 5-12 SU and 8-9 ATS.
With the Heat’s last win against Brooklyn, their SU record rises to 9-1 over the Nets in the last 10 meetings. Additionally, the Heat lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia, ATS Winner – Mia, O/U – Under
Notes
Miami is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Miami’s last 25 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami’s last 6 games.
Miami is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games at home.
Miami is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Miami’s last 18 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami’s last 6 games at home.
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Brooklyn.
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Brooklyn.
Miami ranks 25th in points per game with 96.9, while Brooklyn ranks 22nd in points allowed with an average of 103.4 given up.
Miami and Brooklyn are well matched, ranking 23rd in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Miami puts up an average of 99.0 points per home game, while Brooklyn gives up 104.6 points per away game on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Heat are 15-5 on the season. When the Nets score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 3-17.
When Miami allows at least 100 points, the team has an underachieving 3-6 record this season. The Nets are at 0.500 when they hit the century mark (5-5).
The Nets have a defensive rating of 105.3 (ranked 24th). The Heat rank 10th for their offensive rating of 103.5.
The Brooklyn Nets average 98.3 possessions per game and .984 points per possession. The Miami Heat earn fewer possessions with 93.6, but they score more points with 1.035.
The Miami Heat have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking ninth in the league with an EFF% of 50.4%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Brooklyn Nets have an abysmal 4-15 record.
On average, the Brooklyn Nets make 21.6 assists per game and the Miami Heat make 19.6. Brooklyn is ranked 14th, while Miami is ranked 25th.
Miami averages a league-best 6.9 blocks per game. Brooklyn ranks 22nd with 4.1 blocks per game.
The Miami Heat rank 26th in offensive rebounding, while the Brooklyn Nets rank 14th in defensive rebounding.
Brooklyn makes around 8.1 steals per game. When Miami gives up 8 or more steals, the team has an even 6-6 record.
