The Miami Heat will travel to Madison Square Garden to square off against the New York Knicks. The game starts at 7:30 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 28 and will air on SUN and MSG.
The Knicks beat the Magic 108-95 on Friday. Kristaps Porzingis had 18 points, six rebounds, and two steals for New York. The Heat, meanwhile, are coming off a 101-89 loss to the Celtics on Saturday. Hassan Whiteside had a solid game, accumulating his 23rd double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Over the last five games, a number of players have been hot for the Heat. Whiteside has led the way, averaging 19.5 points, 17.2 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 4.5 blocks. Goran Dragic (19.8 PTS, 5.4 REB, 7.0 AST, 1.2 STL, and 0.8 3PM) and Luol Deng (19.4 PTS, 12.0 REB, 2.0 AST, and 1.4 STL) have also been superb.
The Heat have won two out of three against the Knicks this season, but dropped their most recent game, 98-90. Carmelo Anthony was a standout player in the game, producing 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
The Knicks enter the game with records of 25-35 Straight Up (SU) and 32-27-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 25-35 SU and 32-27-1 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. New York has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a league-high .810.
Across the court, the Heat head into the game with records of 30-27-1 ATS and 32-26 SU. Miami has records of 32-26 SU and 30-27-1 ATS against the East. Miami’s defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking third in the NBA with only 97.0 points allowed per game.
The Knicks’ win over Miami in their last game couldn’t give them the edge in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, where the Heat still lead 8-2 SU. Additionally, with an 8-2 record, the Heat have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia
Notes
Miami ranks 29th in points per game with 96.9, while New York ranks 12th in points allowed with an average of 101.7 given up.
Miami ranks 30th in points per away game with 93.9 points, while New York ranks 18th in points allowed at home with 101.5.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Miami Heat are a solid 26-10. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the New York Knicks have an underachieving record of 5-28.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Heat are just 6-16 this season. New York is a winning 20-7 when registering triple digits.
The Heat have an offensive rating of 102.4 (ranked 21st), while the Knicks rank 20th for their defensive rating of 105.7.
The Miami Heat have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with a FG% of 45.9%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the New York Knicks have a subpar 3-16 record.
The New York Knicks and the Miami Heat both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. New York is 27th and 23rd in the league for EFF% and FG% respectively, while Miami ranks 15th and seventh in these categories.
On average, the New York Knicks make 20.3 assists per game and the Miami Heat make 20.2. New York is ranked 25th, while Miami is ranked 26th.
With 6.4 blocks per game, the Miami Heat rank second in the league. The New York Knicks are in the top half of NBA teams for blocking, ranking eighth with 5.5 blocks per game.
New York is ranked 15th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Miami ranks sixth in defensive rebounds.
The Miami Heat average 6.3 steals per game. When giving up 6 or more steals, the New York Knicks have a poor record (17-26) this season.
