The Cleveland Cavaliers had a statement win on Monday night, going on the road against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks and absolutely eviscerating them. The Cavs were seven-point underdogs but ended up winning by 18 points. Everyone played well, especially the pairing of Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen, the team’s two big contracts handed out this offseason.
The Cavs continue their mini-road trip Wednesday night in South Beach, facing off with the Miami Heat. There is plenty of history between the two franchises, including but not limited to the LeBron James departure and homecoming. What should be expected in their latest meeting?
The Cavs play the Miami Heat Wednesday night to test their mettle. What do you need to know about who is playing and how to bet?
The Miami Heat have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, currently 13-8 and two games back of the East-leading Brooklyn Nets. Their +5.5 net rating is best in the East, backing up their status as a contender. The offseason additions of Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker have built up a stout starting lineup, while Tyler Herro is making a case for Sixth Man of the Year.
The Heat are favored Wednesday night as the better team playing at home. Where does the line stand, and how will injuries play a factor? Let’s jump into the matchup before making a prediction.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat: Odds, spread, over/under
The Cavaliers (11-10) will visit the Miami Heat (13-8) tonight. According to our partners over at WynnBet, the Miami Heat are favored by 7.5 points. The over/under is 203.5. Only once in the month of November would the Cavs have failed to cover a 7.5 point line, win or lose.
Cleveland played on Monday and then traveled to Miami for the Wednesday night game. For the Heat, they lost to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night at home, so they have similar rest but without the travel.
Cavs vs Heat: Projected starting lineups, injury report
Heat starters: Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker, Bam Adebayo
Cavs: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
The Heat’s key injuries: Jimmy Butler (questionable, tailbone); Tyler Herro (probable, rest); Markieff Morris (neck, doubtful); Victor Oladipo (out, quad); Bam Adebayo (questionable, thumb); Dewayne Dedmon (questionable, knee)
The Cavaliers’ key injuries: Collin Sexton (out for season, knee); Cedi Osman (out, back); Dean Wade (out, calf)
Every bit of analysis for this game goes out the window if both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo miss the game. With them, the Heat deserve to be favored but it should be a fight. Without them, the Cavs are good enough that they should likely be expected to win.
Cavs vs Heat: Prediction
The Miami Heat have established themselves as a legitimate contender in the East, with an elite defense and multiple options offensively. Tyler Herro has been an awesome scoring threat off the bench, taking the leap many expected to come last season. Kyle Lowry provides smart defense at the point of attack while spacing the court and pushing the pace on offense. He’s been everything the Heat hoped for when they added him this offseason.
For the Cavs, everything was working against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. The Tower City lineup is back and better than ever, with Lauri Markkanen finally discovering his shot. He is 9-of-17 (53 percent) from deep over the last two games, finally delivering on the shooting pedigree he brought to Cleveland.
Inside the combination of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are going to be a lot for the Heat to handle. P.J. Tucker will likely take Mobley, who doesn’t have the lower body strength (or the heft) to move Tucker in the post. That probably just means the Cavs will work Mobley more from the elbow, running off-ball actions with shooters and Jarrett Allen screening for each other. Adebayo will struggle to keep Allen off the glass.
When Miami has the ball, Isaac Okoro will have his hands full trying to stick with Duncan Robinson running off of countless screens. That also puts pressure on Darius Garland to defend Kyle Lowry, but playing on-ball is a better spot for him then chasing Robinson off-ball. The frontcourt should match up well against the Heat’s frontcourt, as neither Jimmy Butler nor PJ Tucker threaten teams with their speed.
Assuming Miami is fully healthy, they deserve to be favored to win the game. Even so, the Cavs haven’t gone down easily at all this season, and especially not recently. It took one of the greatest quarters of Steph Curry’s career to crack open their only blowout loss. Whatever happens, expect this game to be close.
The over-under is trickier, as both teams are capable of absolutely smothering each other. It seems hard to predict under on such a low number as 203.5, but the Cavs have gone under frequently over the past few weeks. Even in blowout out Dallas it wasn’t until the final minute that the over hit.
Prediction: Miami 101, Cleveland 99
The Bet: Cleveland (+7.5), UNDER
Cavs vs Heat: Where to Watch
To continue its run around the Bally Sports network, the Cavs and Heat will be viewable on both Bally Sports Ohio (for Cavs locals) and Bally Sports Sun (for South Beach dwellers). Any fans outside of those two areas should be able to see the game on NBA League Pass. The game tips off at 7:30pm ET.
Cleveland Cavaliers Upcoming Schedule
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one remaining stop on this three-game road trip through the southern half of the country. Friday night they will play in Washington against the Wizards, seeking revenge on Kyle Kuzma and the team for their 97-94 loss in Cleveland a few weeks back.
From there the Cavs return home to host the Utah Jazz on Sunday, then immediately hit the road for a quick flight over to Milwaukee for a Monday back-to-back meeting with the defending champs. After the Bucks game, it’s back to Cleveland to host the Bulls one week from tonight. It’s a busy and difficult schedule, but the Cavs have shown recently there’s no challenge that scares them.