Cleveland Cavaliers (41-26) vs. Miami Heat (35-31)
March 8, 2023 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Miami Heat +1.5; Over/Under: +213
(Get latest betting odds)
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat meet Wednesday in NBA action at the Miami-Dade Arena. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are averaging 112.1 points on 48.8 percent shooting and allowing 106.6 points on 46.5 percent shooting. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 27.6 points and 4.8 assists, while Darius Garland is averaging 21.9 points and 2.7 rebounds. Evan Mobley is the third double-digit scorer and Jarrett Allen is grabbing 9.7 rebounds. The Cleveland Cavaliers are shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and 77.7 percent from the free throw line. The Cleveland Cavaliers are allowing 37 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 42 rebounds per game.
The Miami Heat are averaging 108.5 points on 45.2 percent shooting and allowing 109.1 points on 47.9 percent shooting. Jimmy Butler is averaging 21.9 points and 6.1 rebounds, while Bam Adebayo is averaging 21.2 points and 9.7 rebounds. Tyler Herro is the third double-digit scorer and Kyle Lowry is grabbing 4.3 rebounds. The Miami Heat are shooting 33.7 percent from beyond the arc and 83 percent from the free throw line. The Miami Heat are allowing 36.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 41.1 rebounds per game.
The Cavaliers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Wednesday games. The Heat are 10-25-1 ATS in their last 36 home games and 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games overall. The over is 6-2 in Cavaliers last 8 overall. The under is 15-5 in Heat last 20 games following a straight up win. The Cavaliers are 3-13 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Miami and 5-13 ATS in the last 18 meetings.
The Miami Heat have won back to back games, and they need to keep winning to chip away in the standings, but they’ve been so inconsistent that I don’t trust them, especially against good teams. The Cleveland Cavaliers are far and away more trustworthy, and they win as favorites by an average of 8.4 points. I need to see more from the Heat before I can back them. Give me the Cavs and small chalk.
