The Cleveland Cavaliers will travel to South Beach on Sunday to take on the Miami Heat in a critical Eastern Conference matchup. The Cavaliers are 43-27 this season and sit in third place in the conference. The Miami Heat enter this game with a 38-32 record and are currently tied with Philadelphia for 7th place in the Eastern Conference standings. The opening tap for this game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EST.
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The cavities continue to flow
The Cleveland Cavaliers are limping toward the end of the season with a roster in great shape, clinging to third place in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers, playing without three starters, including All-Star Donovan Mitchell, fell to the Timberwolves 104-91 on Friday night. It was the third loss in four games, including one against this Heat team at home on Wednesday night. Darius Garland led the Cavs with 19 points, Caris LeVert with 16 points and Jarrett Allen scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the loss. Mitchell missed his third straight game with a broken nose while fellow starters Max Strus (knee) and Eric Mobley (ankle) missed their 10th and 9th straight games, respectively.
“The ball became sticky for us in the second half” LeVert said. “It was difficult to score against their defense.”
The struggling Cavs must find a way to pull out a win against an equally struggling Heat team on Sunday night. The Cavs enter this game ranked 18th in the NBA in scoring. They are 13th in field goal percentage and 14th in 3-point field goal percentage. Cleveland is sixth in 3-point field goals made per game this season. These numbers suffered from the absence of Strus and Mitchell on the offensive end. Defensively, the Cavs are fifth in defensive scoring. They are fourth in field goal shooting and 9th in 3-point shooting this season. The Cavaliers are 8th in total rebounds per game this season and 16th in fewest turnovers.
Key injuries: Mitchell, Strus and Mobley are all out.
The heat must light it
The Miami Heat are engaged in a dogfight as they attempt to advance in the Eastern Conference standings and avoid the play-in rounds again this season. Currently, the Heat are tied with the slumping 76ers for 7th place in the standings and both teams are a game and a half behind sixth place Indiana. The Heat continued their struggles at home this season in a 111-88 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 17 points while Terry Rozier added 13 points and Bam Adebayo returned to the lineup after missing a game with back stiffness, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
“They would pack up the paint and stay in the area,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And I would have done it too.”
The Heat missed an opportunity Friday night to take the lead in the standings with a disappointing effort at home. They are still looking for sixth place in the Eastern Conference but will need to string together a few victories. The Heat are just 27th in the NBA in scoring this season. They are 22nd in field goal shooting and 11th in 3-point shooting this season. The Heat are 20th in the NBA in 3-point field goals made per game. On the defensive side, the Heat are fourth in defense this season. They are 11th in field goal defense and 11th in 3-point defense. On the glass, the Heat are just 26th in total rebounds per game this season. The Heat are eighth in fewest turnovers per game.
Key Injuries: Tyler Herro is out. Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love are both questionable.
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Both teams come into this game beaten, but the Cavs’ injuries have damaged the team’s identity. The loss of Mitchell and Struss robs the team of a powerful 3-point shooting attack that allows them to spread the floor effectively. The loss of Mobley undermines the rebounding prowess of the team, ranked 8th in the NBA in total rebounds per game. The Cavs have struggled in all of these areas with this trio out and will need them all back soon if they want to return to form. The Heat have also been dealing with injuries, the biggest being Robinson, who has returned to the form that made him invaluable during the Heat’s run to the Finals in the bubble a few seasons ago. His absence, however, elevated Rozier’s game. Rozier started to look more comfortable in the Heat’s offense with more playing time and started to look like the offensive force he was with the Hornets. I like the Heat to take advantage of the Cavs’ critical injuries and get a much-needed home win on Sunday.
Take the heat.
Prediction: Heat to cover
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Both teams have been below average this season in the scoring department. The Cavs rank 18th in the NBA in scoring while the Heat are just 27th. These numbers have taken another hit in recent weeks with several elements missing from each team. The Cavs, in particular, have struggled without their leading scorer Mitchell and without Strus to provide the floor shooting that allows other players to operate. Both teams also have a below average pace of play. The Cavs are 25th in the NBA in pace of play while the Heat are only 29th.
Take the bottom.
Prediction: under
