Miami Heat: 3 hot factors vs. Gordon Hayward and his Boston Celtics

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MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 26: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat looks on during the game against the Toronto Raptors on December 26, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Miami Heat are looking to once again find a middling record of 20-20 as they are currently 19-20 after a last-second loss to the Denver Nuggets. As for their competitors tomorrow night, the Boston Celtics are only 1 seed above Miami, but with a more comfortable record of 24-15.

The Miami Heat are facing off against the Boston Celtics tomorrow night and all signs are pointing toward another loss for the Heat, as they are on a downtrend entering January. After a 5 game winning streak toward the end of December, the Heat are now 3-3 in their past 6 games, looking to surpass basketball purgatory.

The Celtics are 24-15, coming off a 3 game winning streak, currently facing off against the Indiana Pacers while I’m writing this. Fortunately for the Heat, with the Celtics coming off a back-to-back, you can expect them to be a little rusty as Miami looks for revenge from their last-second loss to the Denver Nuggets in their past game.

And while the Nuggets had a superstar in Nikola Jokic that they could ask to do anything at will (he had a triple double), I can objectively say that the Celtics are a deeper team with just as good of a superstar in Kyrie Irving.

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Moreover, the Heat are just catching the Celtics on a bad night, as Boston is finally seeming to figure out the trajectory of this team. Especially in the past 3 games, with – now healthy – Gordon Hayward looking like his previous All-Star self.

Hayward in past 3 games: 21 PPG, 5.0 AST, 5.3 TRB, with shooting splits of 55.8/44.4/87.5.

Much like Hayward’s comeback from injury, the Miami Heat have their own player who’s finally coming back from a long-awaited return.

Dion Waiters looked awfully confident in his past performance against the Nuggets. And while he only totaled 11 minutes in the prior 3 games, Waiters’ delivered with 15 points, 4 assists, on 6-10 shooting and 3-7 from downtown. If Waiters can continue to make that much of an impact on the Heat team in this upcoming game, he might just have to be added to the starting lineup.

But before I delve too deep into the nuance and intricacies of the Heat and Celtics’ basketball teams, let’s take a look at the potential starting lineups for tomorrow night’s game, as well as the injuries.

Miami Heat Projected Starting Lineup:

Injuries: PG, Goran Dragic will be OUT

Boston Celtics Projected Starting Lineup:

PG, Kyrie Irving
SG, Marcus Smart
SF, Jayson Tatum
PF, Marcus Morris
C, Al Horford

Injuries: C, Aron Baynes OUT; PF, Jabari Bird OUT

To start off our 3 blazing hot factors against the Boston Celtics, we first have to first start with the problem at the center position.

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