The Miami Heat (44-23 and 1st in the Eastern Conference) are looking to rebound after a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns. On Friday, they are at home to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-27 and 6th in the Eastern Conference) at 8 pm Eastern Time.
The Miami Heat are now on game four of their home stretch and are looking to slow down Darius Garland after he is coming off 41 points against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
Players To Watch
Bam Adebayo will be the main player for the Miami Heat in this matchup. Adebayo, who had a total of 17 points and six rebounds against the Suns, will look to attack the boards and become a factor in the paint on both ends of the court.
He will look to draw more attention towards himself and open lanes for his teammates as well. Duncan Robinson will be another player to watch for the Heat, coming off a 22 point and three rebound performance against the Suns.
He will look to continue to be a factor from the three-point line, creating space for his teammates. Kyle Lowry is another factor for the Miami Heat, as he is coming off of a10 assists and five-point night.
It was a slow night for him with the five points scored and especially without Jimmy Butler, also with strong consideration to the fact that he had nearly all of his 10 assists in the first half.
More often than not this season though, Lowry has been able to open the court, find the open man, create plays out of nowhere, and make the opponent confused as to if he is going to score or pass to the open man. He has to do that for the Heat on Friday.
The Miami Heat face an opponent they’ve had trouble with this year on Friday, the Cavaliers. What a way to get over a blowout, right?
Unaware if Jimmy Butler will actually play in the contest or not, at this moment, we will have to keep an eye out to see if he suits up against the Cavaliers.
Keys To The Game
1. Keep Stars In Check: Miami will have to slow down Darius Garland, one of the fastest rising stars of the league. With young Evan Mobley going strong too, they’ll have to keep them from causing a long night.
2. Rebound The Ball: Miami had a total of 38 rebounds last game, while the Suns had a total of 55 rebounds, 41 one of them coming off the defensive end of the court. Miami will have to control the glass on both ends and not allow the opponent to capitalize off the rebound as they did in their last contest.
3. Hold The Lead: Miami had an 11 point lead against the Suns during the game, however, they ended up losing by 21 points. Miami will need to take control of the game, get the lead, and keep fighting to keep it throughout the game.
Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers Odds And Prediction
Odds And Information Provided Courtesy Of WynnBET
Moneyline: MIA -230 CLE +190
Spread: MIA -5.5
Total: 209.5
Prediction
Miami is fighting for every win now, as they hold a slim lead on the Eastern Conference. They can’t afford another loss, while they also can’t afford to lose focus now. Miami will walk out of their building on Friday with a win against Cleveland, 120-110.