The Washington Wizards host the Miami Heat in a Southeast Division showdown on Monday night at the Capital One Arena.
The Wizards are next to last in the Southeast Division with their 9-22 SU record. The Wizards are only four games ahead of the bottom team Atlanta Hawks and they trail the division-leading Miami Heat by 14.5 games. The Southeast Division leaders are 24-8 SU on the season and they have won eight out of their last 10 games, including the last five. Miami defeated Washington 112-103 in their first meeting of the season last December 6, 2019.
The Miami Heat are the best home team in the NBA with their 15-1 SU record at the American Airlines Arena. In their last game played, the Heat pulled off a thrilling 117-116 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Heat are 6-0 in overtime games this season and they are also 8-1 in games decided by five points or less.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, grabbed nine boards and issued nine assists to lead the Heat against the Sixers. Goran Dragic had 19 points while Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson each scored 16 points for Miami. Bam Adebayo added 11 points while Kendrick Nunn contributed 10 points for the Heat.
Miami Ranks 9th in the league in scoring at 112.5 points per game this season. They are 13th off the glass at 45.7 boards grabbed per contest, and 9th in passing at 25.3 assists per game. The Heat have the 11th best scoring defense this season at 107.5 points per game allowed.
The Washington Wizards are already without All-Star point guard John Wall this season. Now the Wizards are dealing with more injuries in their roster. David Bertans is out with a quad injury, Rui Hachimura is sidelined with a groin injury and Thomas Bryant is still inactive due to a foot injury. In their last game played, Washington missed the services of Bradley Beal who had soreness in his right leg and he is listed as day to day for Washington.
Without Beal’s 30 points per game, Guard Isaiah Thomas and Jordan McRae scored 20 points each in their last game, a 100-107 losing effort against the woeful New York Knicks. Gary Payton II, signed only last week due to their injury woes, added 15 points for Washington.
The Wizards are 3rd in the league in scoring at 117.0 points per game this season. They are ranked 30th in rebounding at 41.7 boards grabbed per contest but are 2nd overall in passing at 27.0 assists per game. Washington is the worst defensive team in the NBA at 122.0 points per game allowed.
Miami is 5-0 SU in their last five games played. The Heat are 9-7 SU in 16 road games played this season, and 5-0 SU in their last five games played against the Southeast Division. Washington is 1-5 SU in their last six games played. The Wizards are 1-5 SU in their last six games played at home, and 1-5 SU in their last six games played against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Heat are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played against the Wizards.
The Heat have won five in a row, including consecutive wins over the Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers who all have winning records this season. All three games were close but the Heat showed the fortitude to play through the pressure and deliver the big shots. Miami’s young line-up is showing a lot of composure right now.
Washington’s having a roller coaster run this season. They have been very inconsistent and have won just twice in their last 10 games played. With Thomas Bryant, Rui Hachimura and David Bertans out with different injuries, and Bradley Beal listed as day to day, Washington is going to struggle against the red hot Heat.
Miami is having a terrific start to the season and they are on a roll right now. The Heat are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played and after showing excellent defense to start the year, their offense is starting to show its might as well. The Heat should be able to complete their business against the injury-saddled Wizards.
PREDICTION: MIAMI HEAT
The Heat are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. Miami is 8-7-1 ATS in their last 16 games played on the road. The Wizards are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games played. Washington is 1-5 ATS in their last six games played at home. Head to head, the Wizards are 3-1 ATS in their last four games played against the Heat but Miami is 5-0-1 ATS in their last six meetings in Washington.
The Heat have put together five straight wins and four out of those five victories were by four points or fewer. Washington has beaten only one team with a winning record this season and that was the Sixers last December 6th. Miami’s rolling right now but they’ve played in a handful of close games as of late, winning those games with clutch shooting. However, Washington doesn’t play defense at all this season and I expect the Heat to cover the spread here.
PREDICTION: HEAT -9.5
The total has gone over in nine out of the last 10 games played by the Heat. The over is 4-1 in Miami’s last five games on the road. The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Wizards. The over is 4-2 in Washington’s last six games against the Southeast Division, and the over is also 4-1 in their last five December games. Head to head, the total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games between these two teams.
The Heat have gone over the total in four out of the five games during their current winning streak and Miami has scored an average of 114.8 points per game during that stretch. The Wizards are the worst team in the league when it comes to defensive scoring, allowing an average of 122.0 points per game this season. Washington is also the 3rd highest-scoring team in the NBA this season and they have given up at least 122 points in three out of their last five games played. Miami’s offense has been heating up as of late and the Wizards don’t play defense at all. I like this game to hit the over.
PREDICTION: OVER 228
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