The Miami Heat (42-30) will have their hands full against the top shooting defense in the league when they take on the Brooklyn Nets (21-51) at AmericanAirlines Arena. The game starts at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 28 and will air on YES and SUN.
The Heat enter this game hoping for similar success after defeating the Magic 108-97 on Friday. With 26 points and 12 rebounds, Hassan Whiteside recorded his 35th double-double of the season. The Nets, meanwhile, are coming off a 120-110 win against the Pacers on Saturday. Sergey Karasev played well for Brooklyn, recording 17 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Whiteside has taken his game to another level as of late for the Heat, averaging 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.6 blocks over the last five games.
Scoring chances at the line might be quite scarce for the Nets in this matchup. They are 26th in the league in free throw attempt rate (24.5), while Miami is among the league’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 24.9, ranking fourth in the NBA).
The Heat lead the season series against the Nets two games to one, including a 102-98 victory in their last matchup. Dwyane Wade was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points.
The Heat are looking to build on their records of 42-30 Straight Up (SU) and 38-33-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 42-30 SU and 38-33-1 ATS against the Eastern Conference. The Heat have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 106.6 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 99.5 points per game. The Heat are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a stellar .468 from the field. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Heat. The 98.1 points that Miami’s defense allows per game makes them the fourth-ranked defense in the league. The Heat prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking fourth in the league with 549 total three-pointers allowed (7.0 per game). The Heat are the top team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 6.6 blocks per game.
On the other side, Brooklyn has a SU record of 21-51 and an ATS record of 37-34-1. Against the Eastern Conference, Brooklyn is 21-51 SU and 37-34-1 ATS. During the last 10 games, they averaged 109.4 PPG, above their 98.7 PPG season average.
Miami won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bumping its SU record to 8-2 over the Nets in their last 10 meetings. Additionally, the Heat lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia
Notes
Brooklyn averages 98.7 points per game, placing the team just 27th in the league. Miami ranks fourth in points allowed, giving up 98.1 points per game.
Brooklyn scores an average of 98.3 points per away game (ranked 23rd), while Miami allows 98.1 points per home game (ranked fourth).
Brooklyn has a 9-7 record when allowing fewer than 100 points. Miami has a 15-21 record when it puts up fewer than 100 points.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Nets are just 12-44 this season. Miami is a stellar 27-9 when registering triple digits.
The Nets have an offensive rating of 101.9 (ranked 27th), while the Heat rank sixth for their defensive rating of 102.0.
Miami has an average field goal percentage of 46.8% (ranked fourth). Brooklyn is an abysmal 4-32 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Miami is 11th and fourth in the league for EFF% and FG% respectively, while Brooklyn ranks 17th and 11th in these categories.
On average, the Brooklyn Nets make 22.2 assists per game and the Miami Heat make 20.9. Brooklyn is ranked 16th, while Miami is ranked 23rd.
Miami averages a league-best 6.6 blocks per game. Brooklyn ranks 25th with 4.0 blocks per game.
The Miami Heat rank 22nd in offensive rebounding, while the Brooklyn Nets rank 25th in defensive rebounding.
On average, Miami makes 6.7 steals per game. Brooklyn is a subpar 20-42 when it allows at least 6 steals.
