GAME START TIME – 11:00AM (AEDT)
GAME BREAKDOWN:
Two top teams in the NBA Eastern Conference face off in an intense matchup in Ohio this morning. The 5th seeded Cavs led by Starting All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell play the 6th seeded Miami unit, led by the one and only Jimmy Butler. Earlier this season, Cavs smoked the Heat by 27 points, however, Bam Adebayo was the only decent player active for the game that day, so, that scoreline does not tell us much.
The Cavs have been in some mediocre form as of late, however, they made a joke out of the injured Clippers team led by dominant performances by their front court duo (Garland & Mitchell).
However, the Cavs haven’t won back to back games since early January which is a slight concern. On the positive side I expect them to be fully healthy in tomorrow’s game (Bar Kevin Love) which means they should be ready to go and prove to the league they aren’t pretenders in this leagues race to get out of the East.
HEAT BREAKDOWN
Miami have finally picked up form, going 7-3 in their last 10. Led by Butler who is averaging 23ppg, 5rpg, and 2 steals a game over the 10 game span and Bam Adebayo also playing well, averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds on the season. Butler’s health is questionable at this point in time but even if he is out tomorrow I would not put the red pen through Miami’s chances. Herro, Adebayo, Lowry and Oladipo have been great this season and there team chemistry is slowly improving. Miami need this win to help build their push for a top seed in the east.
CAVS BREAKDOWN:
To get straight into this breakdown, Darius Garland I think will be the key to victory for the cavs today. Whether Butler plays or not, I assume Miami’s defensive gameplan will focus on the 1st option on the Cavs (Donovan Mitchell) which will leave alot of work on Mitchell’s plate this morning.
Garland has to just take Lowry back to school and outplay him and take advantage of his lack of lateral speed and just speed in general. If Garland cann create for his team mates this game, it will take alot of weight off Mitchell’s shoulders and allow Allen and Mobley to dominate the interior. I think Allen and Mobley will also dominate the interior on the defensive side of the floor and cause issues for Bam Adebayo to generate offense. Again even if Butler plays I see the Cavs having control of the interior however, if Jimmy buckets is there I think the perimeter will be dominated by Miami’s offense which may cause problems for Mitchell and Garland on the defensive end.
THE VERDICT:
Who Wins?: I’ll take the Cavs here with a 1-10 margin ($2.70) and it could be more if Butler does not play.
Players to watch: Darius Garland (CAVS), Tyler Herro (HEAT)
Singles selections:
– Cavs head to head – $1.56 Odds
– Garland 30 pts+ast – $2.20 Odds
-Allen over 22.5 pts + reb – $1.90 Odds