The NBA regular season is heading into the final stretch and continues with games on Friday. The Cleveland Cavaliers will hit the road and take on the Miami Heat. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Cavaliers-Heat prediction and pick.
These two teams have been at or near the top of the Eastern Conference all season long. The Cavaliers have been one of the biggest surprises of this NBA season and are winners of back-to-back games after a recent rough stretch, while the Heat are sitting on top of the East and have won three of their last four games.
Here are the Cavaliers-Heat NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers-Heat Odds
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Cleveland Cavaliers: +8 (-114)
Miami Heat: -8 (-106)
Over: 210 (-110)
Under: 210 (-110)
Why The Cavaliers Could Cover The Spread
The Cavaliers are 38-27 on the season, which is way better than anybody expected they would be. Their most recent win came against the Indiana Pacers by three. They will look to build on that win against another tough opponent in Miami. Darius Garland led the team with 41 points in that game, including a massive fourth quarter to put the team on his back. Garland's All-Star rise has been extremely impressive, and he gives Cleveland a chance in just about any game.
The Cavaliers also have an impressive frontcourt group to go up against Bam Adebayo, with rookie Evan Mobley a standout two-way player while Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen are stretch bigs. Cleveland's big lineups could give Miami some problems.
The biggest roadblock for this team is injuries. The Cavaliers currently have three players listed on their injury report, and they are three of the top contributors to the team. Jarrett Allen, Collin Sexton, and Caris LeVert are all out for Friday's contest. This game will be an uphill battle, but if things go their way, they could pull off the upset against a fellow contender in the East.
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
The Heat have an impressive record of 44-23 to lead the East despite a number of health problems this season. They are coming off a disappointing loss to the Phoenix Suns, though that should just make Miami more motivated to get back on track in South Beach.
Like the Cavaliers, the biggest thing standing in this team's way is injuries. The Heat have three players listed on their injury report. Markieff Morris is out, while both Caleb Martin and Jimmy Butler are listed as questionable.
If neither Martin nor Butler play, this will make it much more difficult for Miami to pull out a win, though this team has found ways to win games while extremely shorthanded all season. Even without those guys, the Heat still have plenty of talent, including Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson.
Final Cavaliers-Heat Prediction & Pick
This is a difficult pick. The Cavaliers had been struggling before their two-game winning streak and are still dealing with some injuries, but Miami could also be missing some players. Picking the Heat, given the uncertainty and the possible injuries, seems like a losing play. Pick the Cavaliers to win and cover.
FINAL CAVALIERS-HEAT PICK: Cleveland Cavaliers +8 (-114)
FINAL CAVALIERS-HEAT SCORE PREDICTION: Cavaliers 105 – Heat 100
Follow Us
Subscribe