The Golden State Warriors look like they are ready for the playoffs, but the All-Star Break hasn’t even started yet. The Warriors will try to stay hot when they host the Miami Heat on Sunday night at Oracle Arena. Miami is still very much in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference despite being three games under .500.
The Miami Heat have lost four of their last five games and come into this game with a record of 25-28. The Heat remain in second place in the Southeast Division and just one game out of first. Golden State has been on a roll of late, and they have improved their record to 39-15 Golden State has a commanding 10 game lead in the Pacific Division. The Warriors are 14.5 point favorites in this matchup against the Heat.
Heat Can’t Score on Offense
The biggest reason for the Heat’s recent struggles has been their inability to consistently score points on offense. The Heat are averaging just 105.0 points per game, which is near the bottom of the NBA. Things won’t get any easier for Miami after trading away guards Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington. If the Heat are going to keep up with the Warriors in this game, they are going to have to score some points.
Shooting guard Josh Richardson has emerged as the top scoring threat for the Heat, pouring in more than 17 points per game. Richardson has teamed with point guard Goran Dragic to lead the starting unit for the Heat. Veteran and Heat legend Dwayne Wade has chipped in with 14 points per game off the bench, but Miami must get more production from the rest of their roster.
Warriors Playing Through Some Drama
Off-court drama seems to follow the Warriors around, but that hasn’t slowed them down on the court. Questions have come up surrounding Kevin Durant’s looming decision in free agency, and the Warriors could also lose Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins. Fortunately for Golden State, all of those players are still in the fold, and they are leading the NBA at 119.1 points per game this season. The Warriors have struggled on defense at times this season; their offense is usually good enough to bail them out.
The Warriors have always been one of the most unselfish teams in the NBA, and that has been the case again this season. Golden State is averaging close to 30 assists per game, which is the best mark in the league. Stephen Curry is back to leading the team in scoring, pouring in 28.7 points per game while shooting close to 45 percent from the three-point line. If Curry has an off night, the Warriors have plenty of other players ready to step up.
Golden State Blows Out Miami
Even though the Heat are in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, they aren’t even close to being one of the 16 best teams in the league. Miami does defend at a high level, but their offense isn’t good enough to keep them in this game. The Warriors have been blowing out teams of late, and they will cruise to another win in this game. Bet the Golden State Warriors -14.5 over the Miami Heat.
