NBA: Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks Preview, Odds, Prediction

The rivalry between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks is one of the legendary in the NBA. Just remember all those fierce battles and fights in the past, and all the thrilling matches that saw memorable finishes. Even though the Knicks are not as strong as in those years, Sunday’s matchup promises a lot of fun. The franchise from the Big Apple is on the rise, while on the other side, the Heat is desperate to win as they already sit far away from the playoff zone.

Preview

Miami Heat (8-14, TBA), has just two wins in the previous nine matches, one against the Sacramento Kings (by one point), and the other on Friday, once Erik Spoelstra’s side trounced Washington Wizards at home, 122-95.

Kendrick Nunn jumped out in this event, scoring 25 points off the bench, and reminding everyone that he used to be one of the best rookie scorers during the previous year, setting up numerous records in his few appearances in the NBA. Nunn was 11-for-17 from the field, with 8 boards and two steals.

Tyler Herro was on the bench but managed to drop 17 buckets, while Bam Adebayo had 21, shooting free throws 11-for-11. The Heat youngsters are slowly taking over the team, which is a good thing because Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic have more time to rest and recover.

New York Knicks (11-13, TBA) are on a two-game winning streak, after beating the Chicago Bulls on the road, 107-103, and the Portland Trail Blazers, 110-99 this Saturday night.

After a few years of wandering around the bottom of the league, the Knicks have a team that might enter the playoff race, and bring the postseason action to Madison Square Garden. That is something that not only the NY fans want, but the entire NBA community.

Julius Randle is the best player on the team with an average double-double per match, 22.6 points, and 10.9 rebounds, with incredible six assists. In all of these categories, he is the team’s leader. The name we simply need to mention is Immanuel Quickley, who has 12.4 points per game in just 19.3 minutes. The rookie shooting guard became a sensation over the past few weeks once he revealed a massive potential.

Head to Head Games

Last year, the Heat was better than NYK in Miami, 129-114. Meanwhile, the Knicks got even with the big rivals, defeating them in the Big Apple, 124-121. Overall, New York has a slightly better record, with 65 triumphs against the Heat, who posted 59 victories.

Prediction

Tom Thibodeau is the guy who likes tough and defensive-minded basketball. Wherever he coached, he wanted such approach. It is no different in New York, and the Knicks are one of the teams whose games are the least efficient in the entire league. Miami, too knows how to play low-scoring games. After all, they have Jimmy Butler and Adebayo, whose defense is at the highest possible level. Following all the said here, our recommendation for this match is under 210 points. Avoid betting on the winner, because it could go either way.