NBA: Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Clippers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Miami Heat head for LA but not to meet with the Lakers, but their local rivals, the Clippers. After four straight wins, Erik Spoelstra’s side lost in Utah and is now looking to bounce back against another title contender. That won’t be easy because the Clippers look pretty confident these days, and post excellent results even though they lack Paul George on the floor. The All-Star forward is injured, but the rest of the teammates cover his absence more than well. 

Preview 

Miami Heat (11-15, +195) lost in Utah routinely, 112-94, snapping a four-game winning streak that saw them taking down teams like Washington, New York twice, and the Houston Rockets. 

In those four wins, they would hold the rivals under 100 points on three occasions, and it is safe to say that even though these teams aren’t some high-class when it comes to offense, Miami’s defense was looking excellent. But against Utah, they couldn’t handle the diversity of the Jazzers’ attack.

Also, what decided that event was the fact that Miami scored only 15 points in the last period, while allowing 31 on the other side. The inability to break through Jazz’s defense in those moments was the main factor of their defeat. Jimmy Butler had 15 points, shooting 3-for-10 from the field, and Duncan Robinson scored just 8 points. Herro was also below the average with 12 buckets and five hits in 16 attempts. 

LA Clippers (20-8, -220) hs three ins a row, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Chicago Bulls on the road, while defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples last night, 128-111. Lou Williams exploded after a while, with 30 buckets, reminding everyone that he still knows how to splash. But not only that. The three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year assisted 10 times. 

Serge Ibaka had 21 points with nine boards and six assists, and to be honest, nobody noticed that LAC played without two of its best players, Leonard and George.

The first one should be ready for the Heat, while the second is still a game-time decision. It would be a big blow for the hosts to have both of its leading players sidelined, but they need to adjust and try to win even if that happens. As we saw against the Cavaliers, there is a huge potential among the rest of the players, and such a situation would be a big test for all. 

Head to Head Games

The first match of these two sides was a little bit more than two weeks ago in Miami. Clippers went back home with a win, 109-105. Believe it or not, they didn’t have Leonard and George in that match either, showing up with just nine players in rotation. The Heat was also massacred with injuries, not having Dragic, Butler, Iguodala, etc. 

Prediction

The line for the total number of points is at 220.5, which is too many for us. Even with Leonard involved, this match won’t have such a fast pace, and the two sides would also be focused on the defense. Without Leonard, the Heat are the favorites, and in such situations, they usually win games due to hard defense, so our recommendation here is under.