Wednesday night NBA and we will see the Miami Heat travel to the Quicken Loans Arena to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game has a start time of 8:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ESPN. Current Vegas betting odds have Cleveland listed as 11.5 point favorites, while the total is set at 193.5.
Analysis: The Miami heat have not had a good year as they come in at 22-29 overall, but if the playoffs started today then they would be in as a 7th seed. That shows how weak the East really is. Miami has gone 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 road games, but just 8-20-2 ATS in their last 30 games following a S.U. win and 2-10 ATS in their last 12 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. The Heat have been a poor offensive squad this year, ranking 28th in scoring (92.8 ppg), 10th in shooting, 18th in 3 point shooting and 24th in FT shooting. The defense for this team has been very good, ranking 2nd in points allowed (96.3 ppg), 21st in defensive FG% and 25th in 3 point defense.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been on fire of late as they have won 13 of their last 4 games, including their last 9 at home, with 8 of the 9 wins being by DD. The Cavs are now 32-21 on the year and have closed the gap in the Central Division to just a half a game behind Chicago. The Cavaliers have gone 8-1 ATS in their last 9 home games and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a S.U. win, but just 5-12 ATS in their last 17 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. The Cavaliers have been a solid offensive squad this year, ranking 9th in scoring (102.0 ppg), 12th in shooting, 13th in 3 point shooting and 16th in FT shooting. The defense for this team been decent, ranking 12th in points allowed (99.2 ppg), 22nd in defensive FG% and 12th in 3 point defense.
Pick: I will be looking to the Under in this game. Miami is not a good offensive team at all and the Cavs have been on fire on the defensive end of the floor of late as they have allowed just 94.1 ppg in their last 12 games. They should have little trouble stopping a Miami team that averages just 92 ppg on the road. The Heat bring their 2nd rated defense into this game and have allowed just 95.4 ppg on the road for the year. Yes Cleveland does average 103.3 ppg at home, but I just don't see it here in a game where both teams should have limited possessions. The Under is 12-2 after Miami scores 100+ points and 14-5 after the Cavs allowed 100+ points in their last game, while the Under is also 5-1 the Last 6 meetings in Cleveland between these teams. I clearly expect this one in the 180s.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for CBB Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
Handicapping Tips: NBA Betting
Bryan Leonard and Steve Fezzik, from Pregame.com discuss some handicapping tips for betting the NBA.