The Miami Heat hold the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference and will attempt to create some separation from the rest of the pack with a win over the Washington Wizards in D.C. Sportsbooks opened the Heat as 1.5-point underdogs with a total of 221.
Standout Stats
- The Heat won three straight before getting thumped by Milwaukee 116-87 on Friday in a setback that reduced their lead over Orlando to a half-game. Miami failed to reach 20 points in any of its last three quarters in the blowout loss.
- Washington sits 5 1/2 games back of the Heat for the final playoff spot, but it doesn’t look good for the Wizards’ postseason prospects with only nine games remaining. Don’t fault Bradley Beal, though. The shooting guard has recorded 25 or more points in 27 of his past 35 contests.
- Miami is 2-1 SU with Washington this season and has won nine of the past 12 meetings with the Wizards. Heat forward Justise Winslow, who’s been dealing with a thigh injury, didn’t play Friday against the Bucks and his status for tonight’s game is uncertain.
- When the Heat and Wizards get together, high-scoring games tend to follow. In the past five meetings between the squads, the OVER is 5-0. Nine of the previous 13 matchups between the clubs in Washington have gone above the closing total.
- On the spread, hoops bettors need to be aware of the underdog value in this series. In the last 11 clashes between Miami and Washington, underdogs are a sizzling 9-1-1 ATS. The road team is 7-1-1 ATS in the past nine meetings between the teams.
My best bet for Miami-Washington
OVER 221 points
The best recipe for OVER bettors is teams that combine for high-functioning offense and poor defense, and as evidenced by the prior OVER trend between Miami and Washington, another OVER could be in store tonight. Miami’s poor effort against Milwaukee yesterday is a little concerning, but a much weaker Wizards defense will make it a lot easier for the Heat to score. Take the OVER.
The OVER is 5-0 in the last five meetings between the Heat and Wizards. The underdog is 9-1-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings between the Heat and Wizards. The OVER is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings between the Heat and Wizards in Washington.
