The Cleveland Cavaliers (49-19) visit Miami to take on the Heat (39-29) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 19 and can be seen on FxO and SUN.
The Heat are expecting a better outcome after their 109-106 loss to the Hornets on Thursday. Luol Deng was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 109-103 win against the Magic on Friday. Kyrie Irving led the team in scoring by accounting for 26 points on 9-for-17 shooting.
Deng has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Heat. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.8 three-pointers.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance when two of the NBA’s slowest-paced teams square off. Miami ranks 28th in the league in possessions per game (95.2), while Cleveland is 26th (95.6).
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Heat had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 99-84 win. Tyler Johnson was the game’s top overall scorer with 19 points.
The Heat have gone 39-29 Straight Up (SU) and 35-32-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 39-29 SU and 35-32-1 ATS against the Eastern Conference.
As for their opponent, the Cavaliers have 49-19 SU and 30-36-2 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Cleveland is 49-19 SU and 30-36-2 ATS.
Miami beat Cleveland in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record to 7-3 over the Cavaliers in their last 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
“Miami is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Miami is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami’s last 5 games “.
“Miami is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami’s last 6 games at home”.
“Miami is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing Cleveland”.
“Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
Cleveland’s offense and Miami’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Cleveland scores an average of 0.0 points per game, while Miami allows 0.0 points per game.
Cleveland and Miami are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Cleveland puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Miami gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
Cleveland has a dazzling 27-9 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Miami is 15-20 when it scores under 100.
The Cavaliers have a 22-10 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Heat have also performed well when they register triple digits with a record of 24-9 in such contests.
The Cavaliers have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.4). The Heat are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 101.7 (ranked sixth).
Miami has an average field goal percentage of 46.6%, fourth-ranked in the NBA. Cleveland is a solid 17-10 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Miami Heat rank higher for their field goal percentage (fourth) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (12th). The Cleveland Cavaliers rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (fifth) than they do for their field goal percentage (10th).
On average, the Cleveland Cavaliers make 22.3 assists per game and the Miami Heat make 20.7. Cleveland is ranked 14th, while Miami is ranked 23rd.
Miami averages a league-best 6.6 blocks per game. Cleveland ranks 28th with 3.7 blocks per game.
The Miami Heat rank 22nd in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank ninth in defensive rebounding.
The Miami Heat make an average of 6.6 steals per game. When the Cleveland Cavaliers allow 6 or more steals, they are a winning 35-15.
