The Miami Heat (41-22) are heading to Brooklyn to face the Nets (32-31) after suffering a close loss to Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat have been good, and over their last ten games, they are 8-2 and will look to get back to winning with this game against a Nets team that’s 3-7 in their last ten games and slowly slipping down in the standings.
The Nets will have to recover from their last two losses in a row to stay in the NBA playoff standings. Miami is listed at -3.5 over Brooklyn to open up the betting on this game.
Miami Looks to Put the Heat Back on to Stay Atop the Eastern Conference
Before the Heat collapsed Wednesday night against the Bucks, they were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, having won nine out of ten games. The shocking loss to the Bucks has put the Heat in a situation where they will need to win here to keep their slim lead in the Eastern Conference.
Victor Oladipo is the help the Heat needs right now going down the stretch to the NBA playoffs. However, his return to the court will be delayed a little longer as reports now say he won’t be ready to play until the second week in March.
For now, the Heat will have to rely on Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler, the two leading scorers on the team. Herro was a hero for the Heat versus the Bucks, scoring 30 points, while Bulter had an off night, only scoring six points in the 35 minutes he played in the game. If these two players have a good game tonight, the Heat can get back to winning and keep their lead in the Eastern Conference.
Nets Need to Turn Things Around Fast to Stay in NBA Playoff Race
While the NBA playoffs are off-aways, the Nets haven’t played well enough to stay in that playoff mix. The team is only 1.5 games ahead in the last playoff spot and can fall out entirely if they keep playing as they have been. Since the Nets’ blockbuster trade on February 10th to acquire Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond from the Philadelphia 76ers for James Harden and Paul Millsap, they have gone 3-5, disappointing Nets fans.
Simmons is out with a back injury, and Drummond is listed as probable against the Heat with a knee injury, putting the Nets at a disadvantage in this game. Kyrie Irving is still ineligible to play any home games for the Nets due to current vaccine mandates, taking away another top-tier player from the Nets rotation. The Nets will have to lean on Curry and point guard Patty Mills to help carry the Nets offense for this game.
Betting Prediction
The matchup between the Heat and Nets will be the third time the two teams have faced each other this season. The Heat have won the previous two games, with the first being by 13 points and the second by only four points. With the main pieces missing out of the Nets’ starting lineup, it will be hard for them to contend against the Heat.
The Heat are 36-26-1 against the spread during the season and 11-8-1 as the favorite when on the road. The Nets are 24-38-1 against the spread this season, and 2-5 has the underdog at home. Looking over all the stats and injuries that both teams have, everything favors the Heat in this game.
The Heat have their players, the history of wins, and better odds against the spread than the Nets. These things make the Heat at -3.5 the pick to play in this game.
