The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning sixth straight games. The Thunder will take their talents to South Beach in hopes of their seventh straight win against a struggling Miami Heat squad. Oklahoma City has also had great success against Miami of late, beating the Heat five straight times.
Oklahoma City is making a run at the Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division standings. The Thunder are 32-18 so far this season and trail the Nuggets by just three games entering this game. The Miami Heat lead the Southeast Division despite having a record that is below the .500 mark. The Heat are just 24-25 entering this game and suffered a stunning loss to the Bulls in their previous game. Oklahoma City is a 1.5 point road favorite in this game.
No Home Court Advantage For the Heat
NBA teams usually have a big edge when playing at home, but that hasn’t been the case for the Heat so far this season. The Heat are just 11-14 when playing in Miami, and they have lost their last two home contests. Miami has struggled to score this season as well, putting up just over 105 points per game. The Heat are one of the best defensive teams in the league, but at some point, they have to be able to score the basketball.
Center Hassan Whiteside is having a monster season for the Heat, averaging 12.5 points and 12.3 rebounds for Miami. Heat legend Dwayne Wade is pouring in 13.8 points per game off the bench, while also leading the team with 4.3 assists per night. The Heat have a lot of really nice pieces, but they are in desperate need of a true superstar.
George, Westbrook Carrying Thunder
Speaking of superstars, the Oklahoma City Thunder have two of them in Paul George and Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is averaging another triple-double so far this season with 21.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 10.8 assists per game. Those are monster numbers for the former NBA MVP, but Paul George might be having an even better season. The former Indiana Pacers star is averaging 27.3 points per game, while also leading the team with 2.3 assists per game. The dynamic duo has the Thunder looking like a real threat in the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City is averaging 114.5 points per game, which is the fifth-best scoring average in the NBA. During this recent six-game winning streak, the Thunder have been scoring points at an even higher rate. The Thunder are still looking for more depth in advance of the NBA trade deadline, but they have enough talent to make a real run at the NBA title.
Thunder Win Seventh Straight Game
The Miami Heat might be one of the worst first-place teams in NBA, and they don’t look like a real threat in the Eastern Conference. The Heat have struggled to score points all season long, and that strategy won’t work against a great Thunder team. Oklahoma City has been on a roll of late, and that will continue in this game. Bet the Oklahoma City Thunder -1.5 over the Miami Heat.
