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The NBA's 2021-22 regular season continues with games on Monday. The Miami Heat will continue their road trip and take on the Golden State Warriors. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Heat-Warriors prediction and pick.
Both of these teams have had very good starts to the season. The Miami Heat are 23-14 but are coming off a very disappointing loss to the Sacramento Kings. Tthe Golden State Warriors are 28-7 and are coming off an impressive victory over the Utah Jazz. This should be a great game between two of the best teams in the league.
Here are the odds for the Heat-Warriors Monday night NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Heat-Warriors Odds
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Miami Heat: +11 (-114)
Golden State Warriors: -11 (-106)
Over: 214.5 (-112)
Under: 214.5 (-108)
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
The Heat have been a very solid team this year. They have faced a ton of adversity, yet have managed to come out with a bunch of wins. They have won four of their last five games but are coming off a disappointing two-point loss to the Sacramento Kings. The Heat will look to bounce back from that loss and take down one of their toughest opponents yet. The Warriors have looked phenomenal this season, so if Miami wants to win this game, the visitors will need a few things to go their way. If they can learn from their last game and persist through COVID then they could end up on top.
The Heat lost to the Kings despite taking a whopping 27 more shots. Miami struggled to convert from the field and went just 9-of-33 from 3-point range. The Heat have used 3-point shooting to win a lot of games while shorthanded this season, but they failed to convert on those looks against Sacramento. Miami will need to capitalize on every opportunity against a dominant Warriors team, otherwise this could get ugly.
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This Heat team has been hit very hard with injuries and COVID. Miami has six players currently in the league's health and safety protocols. Headlining the unavailable players is Duncan Robinson, who was added to the list on Dec. 30. The Heat will still be able to lean on Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and Tyler Herro, but will that be enough? The Warriors are a great team, so this is going to be a tough one, though that 11-point spread is a big one.
Why The Warriors Could Cover The Spread
The Warriors are quite possibly the best team in the NBA. The Dubs have taken down some of the top competition and have been extremely competitive in nearly every game this season, with the latest seven-point victory over the Jazz a testament to how good they are. They have persisted through COVID and currently look like they are on pace to make a championhip run. The Heat are not a team that can be taken lightly, so Golden State will come into this game ready for battle.
In the Warriors' win over Utah, they were impressive across the board. Most notably, however, was their scoring and passing. Golden State shot over 53% from the field and from beyond the arc. They were ahead of Utah for nearly the entire game. After the Jazz made a run in the third quarter, the Warriors hit the gas and shut down Utah. Beyond their scoring, the Warriors dished out nearly 40 assists in that game. Their ball movement was spectacular as they had 20 more assists than the Jazz. When the Dubs are on, they are the toughest team to keep pace with in the NBA. If they can have that same efficiency and ball movement on Monday, things will not be looking great for Miami.
While COVID has impacted every team in the league, the Warriors are nearly in the clear. James Wiseman is the only Warrior currently in the league's health and safety protocols. Klay Thompson is the only other player on this team who will be unavailable for Monday's matchup. That means the Warriors are nearly at 100% and will be on full display Monday. They could easily end up steamrolling the Heat in this one.
Final Heat-Warriors Prediction & Pick
If both these teams were completely healthy, this could end up being a really good game. However, with COVID in play and the Warriors' recent performances, Golden State seems like the pick here. The Heat could make this competitive, but that's a big ask from a crippled roster. Pick the Warriors to win and cover.
FINAL HEAT-WARRIORS PICK: Golden State Warriors -11 (-106)
FINAL HEAT-WARRIORS SCORE PREDICTION: Warriors 123 – Heat 107
