The Cleveland Cavaliers have been playing lights out, having won three straight games after they got the job done over the Sacramento Kings in the second leg of a back-to-back for both teams on Saturday, largely because of an 81-point first half. The Cavs had some issues down the stretch in that one, and likely had some tired legs with that as fifth game in a seven-day period, but they ended up getting that done.
So next up for the 16-12 Cavaliers is the 13-9 Miami Heat, a squad that’s been dealing with its share of injuries recently, much like the Cavs were earlier on.
The Heat are still a tough-minded club though, and they’ll be looking to come up with a better outing as opposed to the last time these two teams played. Cleveland won that one going away on Dec. 1 in what was the Cavs’ first win in Miami in over a decade, but the Heat were without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
So, what do you have to know about this Cavs-Heat matchup, and how to bet?
As we alluded to, the Cavs have been hitting their stride once again, as they’ve been able to get off to fast starts, and as they’ve been healthier, it’s led to more consistency. And as the ball movement and man movement has been there, it’s helped Cleveland hit more triples game-to-game in the past few weeks.
In regards to the Heat, they’ve been dealt a tough hand on the injury front, as Adebayo has been out this month, and Butler has missed his share of time, and diddo for Markieff Morris. They are a club that has their share of contributors still, though. Overall, Miami, who has been 5-5 in their last 10 games, will be fine I believe, and is more than capable of going deep in the postseason if they are mostly healthy.
Assuredly, the Cavs are more healthy at the moment, however, and essentially are, aside from Collin Sexton being out for the season, of course.
So to that point, where are the current odds, and what are the key injuries heading into this contest for both squads?
Cavaliers vs. Heat: Odds, spread and over/under
According to our partners over at WynnBet, the surging Cavaliers are favored by 5.0 points over the Heat, and given the significant contributors out in this one for the Heat, that even seems a bit low for the spread here. It’s not to say that’s generally not a considerable margin, but in this instance, it might even be.
For the over/under, that’s currently set to be 208.5 for now, with 102.0 and 107.0 being the marks for Miami and Cleveland. That would normally seem to be low for this Heat team if they were healthier. That’s not the case here, though.
We’ll see if Miami can get big shooting nights out of Duncan Robinson, who has underwhelmed thus far but is always dangerous and is starting to find his rhythm, and Tyler Herro and/or Max Strus are knockdown guys.
Cavs vs. Heat: Projected starting lineups, injury report
Heat starters: Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson, P.J. Tucker, Dewayne Dedmon
Cavs starters: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Heat key injuries: Jimmy Butler (out, tailbone); Bam Adebayo (out, torn UCL); Markieff Morris (out, neck); Caleb Martin (out, COVID-19 health and safety protocols); Victor Oladipo (out, quadriceps, knee).
Cavs key injuries: Collin Sexton (out for season, knee)
Cavaliers vs. Heat: Prediction
The Cavs can’t be taking the Heat, who have won their last two contests, lightly here, as is the case for their opponents in general. Kyle Lowry is still Kyle Lowry, and Erik Spoelsta is one of the league’s best head coaches, and has been for a long time.
However, in this game, with all the injuries/absences have, I still believe the Cavaliers should be able to win this one going away once again with Garland setting the table, and Mobley, Allen and Markkanen having clear advantages. In this current three-game win streak, regardless of opponents/absences, the Cavs have won those by a margin of 18.0. And in December, in this 5-2 stretch, they’re third in the NBA in average point differential at 12.3.
I expect the Cavaliers to get another 10-plus-point victory here, with Miami banged up, notwithstanding.
Prediction: Cavs 108, Heat 93
The Bet: Cavs (-5.0), UNDER
Cavs-Heat: Where to watch
This is not going to be a national TV contest, even with a club like Miami having their share of those in the season. The Cavs aren’t getting that spotlight aside from a NBA TV games on the year, at least at currently, but that could change.
In this one, it’s set to be on Bally Sports Ohio, for Cavs fans in that respective market, and for those tuning in as Heat fans, it’ll be on Bally Sports Sun. And the rest in other markets that are subscribed can see this one via NBA League Pass. The game is set to begin at 7 PM EST.
Cavaliers upcoming schedule
Next up for the Cavaliers is the conclusion of this three-game homestand for them against the Houston Rockets. Houston is a club at the beginning of a full-rebuild, and they’re a very young squad. Houston has its share of struggles for stretches, which is to be expected, with their situation, but they play really hard. The Rockets, even with a 15-game losing streak at one point, did have a recent seven-game win streak, for what it’s worth.
Looking past that one, the Cavaliers have a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back at the Milwaukee Bucks, who they lost to this last Monday, and then have the Atlanta Hawks following that contest. Both of those clubs, who faced off in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, are getting it rolling again, and will be tough opponents.