NBA action in the Eastern Conference continues when the Wizards of Washington (10-53, 15th in the East) travels to face the Miami heat (35-28, 6th in the East). Washington is coming off a rare victory against Charlotte, winning 112-100 as a 2.5-point home favorite. The Heat are coming off a road loss at Oklahoma City, losing 107-100, but being considered an 8.5-point underdog on the road. This is the third of four matchups between these teams this season, with the Heat winning the first two matchups. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 a.m. EST from the Kaseya Center in Miami.
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Newly eliminated
The Washington Wizards are now the second NBA team to be eliminated from the playoffs, with the Spurs also excluded from the playoffs. The Wizards won their last game, but they had lost their previous 16 games before this game. In the win over the Hornets, Kyle Kuzma had 28 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, while Deni Avdija added 18 more points in the victory.
JP. ???? pic.twitter.com/AEvUVNXbOV
– Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) March 9, 2024
Kuzma is the Wizards’ leading scorer with 22.3 PPG, while adding 6.5 RPG and 4.2 APG. He is the team’s leading shooter making 2.3 threes per game on 33.8% shooting from deep. Kuzma has scored 20 or more in each of his last seven games, including a high of 32 against the Clippers. Jordan Poole was sent to the bench, but is still second on the team in minutes played and points per game. Poole is averaging 16.7 PPG and 3.8 APG, and recently scored 32 points on the Jazz. Deni Avdija started the entire season at forward and is averaging 13.8 PPG and 6.8 RPG, while Tyus Jones starts at point and adds 12.1 PPG and a team-high 7.1 APG.
In their last game against the Hornets, they started Richaun Holmes at power forward and rookie Bilal Coulibaly at wing. The Wizards bring Corey Kispert off the bench, he adds 12.1 PPG to the second unit. Washington is currently ranked 26th in offensive efficiency and 30th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandtrois.com. The Wizards play at the fastest pace in the NBA, ranking first in tempo.
Injury Report:
Released: Marvin Bagley III
Questionable: Landry Shamet
Heat drop two straight lines
The Miami Heat went on a hot streak, winning seven out of eight games, before ultimately losing back-to-back games to the Mavericks and Thunder. Both games were against likely playoff teams in the West and on the road, so the Heat will be ready to return to their home court against this Washington team. The Heat currently sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference, narrowly avoiding the Play-in Tournament. In their last game, they were led by Jaime Jaquez Jr. with 25 points in the loss to the Thunder.
Jimmy draws the and-1 and heads to the line pic.twitter.com/5r6qhfwzGu
– Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 9, 2024
Butler is the Heat’s leading scorer with 21.7 PPG while adding 5.6 RPG. He also leads the team in assists with 4.9 per game and steals with 1.4 per game. Butler was close to a triple-double last game, as he finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the loss to Oklahoma City. Bam Adebayo is an athletic interior center, he averages 19.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG, but is coming off a poor performance where he only scored five points against the Thunder. Terry Rozier has been added to the starting lineup since joining the team, he has scored 14.8 PPG in his 15 games with the Heat. Duncan Robinson stepped in in Herro’s absence, scoring 13.4 PPG in a starting role.
Nikola Jovic is the Heat’s latest project, he has started games recently but is only averaging 6.1 PPG on the season. In recent games, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Caleb Martin have gotten the most minutes coming off the bench. The Heat are currently ranked 22nd in offensive efficiency and 8th in defensive efficiency in the NBA. They play at one of the slowest paces in the league, ranking 28th in pace of play.
Injury Report:
Absent: Tyler Herro, Josh Richardson, Kevin Love
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Insider Status:
Rating:
This number has become too high, as the Heat are not a team that consistently eliminates opponents. Jimmy Butler is much better in the playoffs than he was in the regular season, and it’s not yet time for him to continue his play. Tyler Herro, Josh Richardson and Kevin Love are all still out, while he only misses Washington only one important piece in Bagley. The Wizards have recently opted for small lineups, with Richaun Holmes as an athletic big inside surrounded by shooters. This formation allows the Wizards to play fast and throw from distance, which is a good move for Kuzma, Poole and Kispert. The Wizards know their strengths, they don’t want to play a slow game and struggle in the post, and will happily go into an up-and-down game against the Heat who are lacking a few weapons. The Wizards lost twice to the Heat this season, but were competitive and would have covered 9.5 points in both matchups.
Take the wizards to cover.
Prediction: Wizards +9.5
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Insider Status:
Rating:
Washington is reckless with the ball, and they have no reason not to be. The Wizards were recently eliminated from the playoffs, so they are playing this game without fear and will play at the pace they want. The Wizards play at the fastest pace in the league, between Kuzma and Poole, they find shots in the first two seconds of possession and let them fly. Washington has been overshot in four of their last five games, but it’s not just because of their pace of play, they also have terrible defense. The Wizards are last in terms of defensive efficiency and Miami will be able to score well at home. This will cause the Wizards to play even faster, as they will likely fall behind early and have to catch up. Neither team is post oriented, Adebayo is the best post player in the game, but Miami isn’t running sets for him. Both teams will come out and race in this one.
Take over.
Prediction: Over 230
