A game that has all sorts of meaning to this Eastern Conference playoff race.
Game Story:
The 40-34 Miami Heat have yet another big game set to play tonight at home against the 39-34 Brooklyn Nets. Miami has won 7 of their last 10 games and just surpassed the Nets in the standings as the sixth seed. They can add a little bit more breathing room with a win tonight. The Heat can expand their .5 game lead to 1.5 and inch a little closer to even snagging the 5th seed from the New York Knicks.
If last game’s matchup against the Knicks was considered a must-win, then this was has to be as well, and then some. It’s as important as losing can drop the Heat back to the 7th seed, but winning can solidify the 6th seed and get more momentum going for potentially getting an even higher seed. The last time these two teams met up in Brooklyn right before the All-Star break, the Heat dropped one due to a Mikal Bridges 40+ point offensive explosion.
Miami, similar to what they did to Julius Randle last game after allowing him to drop a 40 piece the game they played against each other before, has to do the same with Bridges tonight. He is a young two-way player that can fill it up offensively in bursts. Bridges has been their guy with the ball in his hands, and the Heat need to make him look a bit more uncomfortable. Whether that’s throwing double teams at him or even putting Bam Adebayo on him defensively.
Having Kevin Love, who the Heat did not have on the roster in that last matchup in Brooklyn, allows Miami to have more versatility. In the sense of Love being able to guard centers like Nic Claxton on the Nets, allowing either Adebayo or Butler to take on the bigger defensive responsibility against Bridges. On the offensive end, Jimmy Butler is going to be doing Jimmy Butler things, as he so often has the last few weeks. Adebayo and Tyler Herro need to do their share to provide Butler that help.
Not only do the rest of the core three need to produce, but like I have said before, there needs to be that one or two “X-factor” scorer. That could come out of the group of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Love, Caleb Martin, or even Kyle Lowry. Last game it was Vincent in the first half and Strus in the second half who provided that extra depth contribution offensively.
As for injuries, Cody Zeller remains out and Lowry and Martin are both considered questionable with knee soreness again. With how big this game has an impact on the standings, expect at least one, if not both of them to wind up being available.
Injury Report:
Heat
- Kyle Lowry, questionable
- Caleb Martin, questionable
- Cody Zeller, out
- Orlando Robinson, out
- Nikola Jovic, out
- Jamal Cain, out
Nets
- Seth Curry, out
- Ben Simmons, out
Probable Starters:
Heat
- Jimmy Butler
- Kevin Love
- Bam Adebayo
- Tyler Herro
- Gabe Vincent
Nets
- Mikal Bridges
- Dorian Finney-Smith
- Nic Claxton
- Cam Johnson
- Spencer Dinwiddie
ODDS (via FanDuel)
Check the odds out at FanDuel!
Broadcast Info:
Tipoff: 8:00 PM EST
TV: Bally Sports Sun (Eric Reid, John Crotty)
Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
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