The NBA will continue its expansion into new territories as the league touchdowns down in Mexico City for the thirty-first installment of the NBA Mexico City Games. The Miami Heat (2-2) will take on the Washington Wizards (2-2) for the special showcase from Mexico's capital city. It's time to present our NBA Mexico City odds series with a Heat-Wizards prediction and pick.
The Miami Heat come into this game following their most recent loss to the New York Knicks 116-107. This will be Miami's third appearance in Mexico City in franchise history as they've gone 2-0 when playing at the neutral site. They'll come into this meeting as the slight betting favorites.
The Washington Wizards visit Mexico City following back-to-back wins during their series against the Atlanta Hawks. The Wizards have played three previous exhibition games in Mexico City, but this will be their first Regular Season tilt at the neutral site as they hope to extend their winning streak to three games.
Here are the Heat-Wizards NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.Β
NBA Mexico City Odds: Heat-Wizards Odds
Miami Heat: -9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -450
Washington Wizards: +9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +350
Over: 224.5 (-110)
Under: 224.5 (-110)
How To Watch Heat vs Wizards
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET/ 6:30 p.m. PT
TV: NBA TV, ESPN 2, Monumental Sports Net, NBA League Pass
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Heat Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Miami Heat will return to Mexico City once again as they enjoy a 2-0 record when playing in the games. Jaime Jacquez Jr. will also become the first player with Mexican citizenship to play in the games, so it'll be a great moment for the players to be a part of the unique tradition. They're expected to continue being without Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love, so they'll have to focus on grabbing defensive rebounds and collectively scrambling to the ball against a taller Wizards lineup. They can rest easy knowing they're 7-3 over their last 10 against Washington.
Jimmy Butler has improved his scoring over the last few games and Terry Rozier has added 36 over the last two contests. Tyler Herro is coming into this one following a stellar 8-13 night shooting from three, so expect him to once again test his stroke from there as he looks to get hot. It'll be interesting to see how the elevation in Mexico City affects this Heat team in running down the floor as we could see them settle into more half-court set pieces.
Why the Wizards Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Washington Wizards were great in their most recent win over Atlanta and managed 53.4% shooting from the field. Bilal Coulibaly scored a career-high 27 points in the winning effort and he's currently fourteenth league-wide in shooting percentage at 59.1%. When they're playing mistake-free basketball, the Wizards give themselves a chance to hang in competitively with a number of talented scorers on their roster. As for this game, they're expected to be without on of their key players in Kyle Kuzma.
The Wizards will look towards Jordan Poole to once again carry the scoring load behind his 22.5 PPG. While he totaled five turnovers in their most recent contest, it was his highest total of the season as he's generally done a good job of taking care of the basketball. Him and the rest of the roster have also improved slightly from a defensive standpoint and they've done a good job closing out in these last two games against the Hawks.
Final Heat-Wizards Prediction & Pick
The NBA Mexico City Game will be a good one as we'll see the Miami Heat looking to continue their success against the Washington Wizards. While the Wizards have gone 2-2 ATS this season, the Miami Heat have posted just a 1-3 ATS record on the season. They are, however, 2-1 when listed as the betting favorites and they've gone 7-3 over their last 10 meetings against Washington.
Still, the Wizards could stand to make this a competitive contest if they're able to find answers in scoring the basketball. They're the far better team in transition this season and they've done a good job of finding high percentage looks when running down the floor. If they're able to outpace the Heat at elevation, they could be able to run away with this contest.
The Heat are expected to win this game, but we like what we've seen from the Wizards against a strong offense like that of Atlanta's. I expect them to score the ball at will as their ability to find baskets slightly outpaces the Miami Heat. Let's roll with the Wizards to cover the spread in this one.
Final Heat-Wizards Prediction & Pick: Washington Wizards +9.5 (-110)
Follow Us
Subscribe
