The Miami Heat (47-25 and first in the Eastern Conference) are looking to shake off the tough road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, as they head home to Miami to take on the Golden State Warriors (47-25 and third in the Western Conference) at 7:30 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday.
The Heat will begin a four-game home stint with only 10 games left to go in the regular season, looking to widen the gap on first place and lock in home-court across as much of the playoffs as possible.
Players to Watch
- Jimmy Butler: Butler, who put up 27 points and six assists against the 76ers, will look to get the Heat back on track. Jimmy will need to get his team involved, find the open man down the stretch, and hit the shots he needs to in the biggest moments of the game. He will have to come out shooting and making plays early against this Warriors team that is without Stephen Curry and coming off a tough defeat to Orlando.
- Bam Adebayo– Adebayo, who racked up 22 points and nine rebounds last game, will need to control the boards and the paint on both ends against the smaller Warriors. With their overall lack of size, he will need to deny easy buckets down low and keep the opponent from finding holes in the paint.
- Kyle Lowry– Lowry, who racked up 20 points and six assists last game, will need to create plays and make his three-point shots count down the stretch. You’d love him to continue the shooting from last game, while also continuing to find opportunities for his patented hit-ahead pass, to find cutters or guys near the basket, and kickouts to open shooters.
The Miami Heat will look to get back on track against a hobbled Warriors Wednesday. Losing to the Magic Tuesday, a win won’t come easy over them.
Keys To The Game
1. Control The Three-Point Line: Miami will need to keep the Warriors from knocking down shots from deep, matching up with Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, both unafraid to knock down the shot when they have the opening. The Heat will need to lock down the arc early and keep the Warriors from getting hot.
2. Rebound The Ball, Especially Defensively: Miami was outrebounded by 11 boards on Monday night, allowing the 76ers a ton of second opportunities on offense. They’ll need to keep the Warriors on earth on both sides of the board, but especially on the offensive end with their size issues and lack of Steph Curry’s scoring.
3. Maintain The Lead: Miami had an extendable lead on the 76ers at one point but lost by seven points at the end of the game. If they ever manage to get a lead in games like these ones down the stretch, they’ll want to look to finish with it to get into good practice there, because they haven’t for most of the year and the playoffs are all about finishing and closing.
Miami Heat vs Golden State Warriors Odds And Prediction
Odds And Information Provided Courtesy Of WynnBET
Moneyline: MIA -270 GS +220
Spread: MIA -6.5
Total: 213.5
Prediction
Miami will need to bounce back for a win, as they only hold a 2.5 game lead over the Eastern Conference while losing to a direct competitor on Monday night. They need to head into this matchup against the Warriors looking to make a statement early on their home court.
Miami, if they play a controlled game until the very end, will walk out with a win, 110-105.