LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will face their former team together for the first time, when the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Miami Heat on Tuesday evening. There are few pieces left from the championship days with the visitors, but the Heat are doing fine with the new foundation.
Heat at Cavaliers
Spread: Cleveland -3.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 210 points (-110)
Miami overcomes lowest-scoring first quarter in franchise history to beat the Bulls
Only true basketball fans remained in front of their TV (or other media) screens after the Ugly first quarter of Miami Heat’s game against the Chicago Bulls, but it was actually a good game afterwards. The Heat won 100-93, helped by their second unit, and returned to over .500 after a recent stretch of good wins. This one was not one to be proud off, but they got the W, and it still counts.
Players and coaches of both teams looked dumbfounded after a terrible display at the start of the game that saw teams combine for 20 points in the opening quarter, with Heat trailing 7-13. They shot 2-of-19, and were fortunate to be down by just six, thanks to Chicago’s own 4-of-24 inaccuracy. It was a weird quarter, especially when you consider that the Heat usually plays strong right off the bat, but it was even stranger that the quarter break put an end to the collective scoring allergy. The Heat shot 13-of-19 in the second, increased their tally by 38 points ignited by some bench scoring, and moved to a 45-42 halftime lead. The game remained close until the fourth period, when the reserves started to create separation and won the game. Spoelstra liked Ellington’s and James Johnson’s contribution, leaving them in the game for the entire length of the period, keeping Whiteside and Waiters on the bench. Whiteside was actually very solid, playing with a nagging knee injury. The Heat had four players in double figures in scoring by the end of the third period, but no one with more than Whiteside’s 11 points. He added 9 rebounds in a little more than 20 minutes. Goran Dragic led the way with 24 points and scored 14 of them in the fourth quarter. Reserves James Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington, and Kelly Olynyk played all 12 minutes along his side of a 36-point fourth quarter that closed out the Heat’s victory. Ellington hit 5-of-8 three-pointers en course to 19 points, and James Johnson added 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, going 7-of-9 from the field. The Heat shot 45.3 percent, compared to 37.1 percent of the Bulls.
The Heat play on the front end of a back-to-back set they will also bring them to New York, where they wrap up this road trip. Spoelstra said that keeping Whiteside on the bench had nothing to do with his injury, so he should be considered probable for the clash with Cavs.
Place: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 28th, 2017. 7:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSN, Sportsnet One
Eight wins in a row for the Cavs
The Cleveland Cavaliers won their eighth game in a row with a 100-99 close victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, beating the same team twice in 10 days. It was a tight contest throughout. Neither side led by more than 8 points and the Cavs playing catch-up most of the game.
Wearing the all-black alternative uniforms, the Cavaliers almost saw the funeral of their win streak as the Hornets had a last-second attempt to win, but the LeBron James invincibility against this foe remained undisturbed. James was dominant as ever – finishing with 27 points, 16 rebounds, and 13 assists. He had his triple-double by the end of the third quarter. It was a classic James’ performance, he started off deferring to his teammates, dishing out assists and making them happy, before taking over and willing his team to win. Kevin Love had a 11-point, 13-rebounds double-double, but despite the two stars working hard on the glass, the Cavaliers were actually inferior in this department – without Thompson to fight for the ball, the Cavs only had 3 offensive rebounds the entire night, and got outrebounded by 10. The extra possessions helped Hornets have a shot despite shooting just 38.3 percent from the field. It was not just an off night for the away side, the Cavaliers have playing excellent perimeter defense probably for the first time this season. J.R. Smith woke up and scored 16 points and had three steals, and Korver and Wade combined for 23 points coming in from the bench.
Shumpert recovered from his knee issues and is likely to return Monday against the 76ers, shifting Calderon back to the bench. Derrick Rose is now having mental troubles caused by injuries and bloated expectations as a result of the ridiculous MVP award he picked up back in the days. He’s considering retirement and is not with the team. Thompson is working his way back, but will not play just yet. Isaiah Thomas is further back. This game is the tail-end of a back-to-back, so you might want to check if there are any injuries or players scheduled for rest on the game day.
Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers Game Trends & Prediction
Miami was a 7-point favorite most on the day, but the line closed at 7.5, making the last win an ATS loss. The Heat are thus 7-10-2 against the spread now. With another away under (3-7 away O/U record), they are 8-11 on the totals market.
Yes, incredibly, the Cleveland Cavaliers failed to cover at home again, falling to 0-9-1 against the spread at home and 6-12-1 overall (not counting tonight’s contest against Philadelphia). When it comes to total points market, the Cavs have balanced out with an increased focus on the defense, and are 10-8-1 now, going 2-4-1 in the last seven games.
Admi-Rank: The Cavaliers bounce back is slow but steady. The Heat aren’t much behind either, as they’ve had some very nice victories prior to the last, underwhelming victory in Chicago.
Despite the names on the roster, there isn’t much separating two sides. Of course, James and Wade will be hyped up to play and beat the Heat, which isn’t a good sign for the away side, and there’s always a concern when a big man has an injury and is trying to tough it out like Whiteside is. On the other hand, the Heat have good weapons at the Cavs weak spots. They rebound the ball well, have a point guard looking to drive into the paint, and one that can finish, and shoot the three ball from all angles. What they lack is, someone to stop or slow down James, and this is enough to fuel Cavaliers to victory.
The books understand the balance of power here, and are keen to lay the Cavaliers as they have been extremely profitable for them at home. Even at Miami just +3.5 underdog, I believe slight value is with the away team. However, it’s not enough to go after it. The public will likely be on the home side, and if any pros think the Cavaliers could break the dry spell in this game, there’s a slight chance of getting the target price, so I’m listing it below. My primary wager here is the under points. Cavs tend to slow it down on back-to-backs, and Miami has shown that they can go without baskets for a prolonged periods (not just in the last game), while also playing solid team defense. The line of 210 is simply too high for this game so slide under it.
My Pick: (no wager on the spread, unless you can get Miami +5 -110)
Total: Under 210 points (-110)
