Getty Kevin Durant goes to block Hassan Whiteside, the two square off again in tonight's betting matchup.
The Golden State Warriors take to the road to face the struggling Miami Heat. The Warriors and Heat have met once before on the year, with the Warriors squeaking out a 120-118 victory over the Heat.
The Essentials
- Golden State Warriors (43-17) vs Miami Heat (26-33)
- Wednesday, February 27th at 7:30 pm ET
- Point Spread: Warriors (-9.5)
- Point Total: 223
Golden State Warriors Prediction
To say that the Warriors look somewhat lackadaisical right now would be accurate. Despite adding DeMarcus Cousins to the mix, the Warriors have seemed to take a step back defensively and are still trying to figure out how to integrate the 5th star into their mix. All that said, the Warriors are still the most dangerous offense in the NBA and on most nights, that offense is more than good enough to simply outscore any team they line up against.
Averaging almost a career high in points (28.4 per game), Curry is shooting the basketball as well as he has his entire career. While Kevin Durant may steal some shine given the fact that he is a basketball alien, Curry is what makes this Warriors team as dangerous as they are. Able to hit shots from anywhere inside the half-court line, defenders need to pick up Curry much further out than they are accustomed to. This increased spacing, paired with the unrelenting off-ball screens, opens up either wide open three-pointers (for Klay Thompson) or quick back cuts to the basket (for everyone else).
Draymond Green is still effectively able to quarterback the defense and while he isn’t the same defender he was in earlier Warriors campaigns, he still brings a versatile and cerebral weapon to help slow down the opposing offense. However, this version of the Warriors is not nearly as dangerous as their predecessors and if this team has one Achilles heel, it is the fact that they regularly give up boatloads of points.
Miami Heat Prediction
The Miami Heat thrive at playing an entirely different brand of basketball compared to the Warriors. Much less inclined to run the floor and turn things into a shootout, the Heat instead look to slow the game down and grind out possessions on defense.
Justice Winslow has been a revelation on both sides of the ball this season and looks to be far outplaying the 4 year, $11 million contract extension he got from the Heat. Winslow struggled both offensively and defensively to start his career. However, since being moved into the primary facilitator role for the offense he has thrived in his new “point forward” role. Winslow did go down with a minor knee injury in the Heat’s last game but should be back available and good to go tonight.
Hassan Whiteside has steadily been a force protecting the rim and on the glass. A true glass cleaner, arguably no player outside Andre Drummond matches his work on the boards.
Although he has seen his minutes shrink the past two seasons thanks to the supremely athletic Bam Adebayo, Whiteside is posting some of the best per 36 minute stats of his career. For all the good surrounding Whiteside, his lack of mobility often clogs the lane on offense and is a key contributor as to why the Heat have struggled mightily on that side of the ball. Moreover, Whiteside has an incredibly high usage rate given the fact that he is far from an offensive weapon and tends to stagnate ball movement for the offense.
Heat vs Warriors Game Prediction
Although the Warriors seem to be resting up and waiting for the playoffs, they simply don’t score less than 100 points. Meanwhile, the Heat tend to make a living by holding teams (and themselves) to under 100 points and play at one of the slowest paces in the league. Unfortunately for them, there really isn’t a defense on the planet that can slow down the Warriors and the Heat will be stuck playing catch up in a fast-paced game for the bulk of this affair. Expect the Warriors to put up a solid 120+ on their own, leaving the Heat to just need to score around the 100 point mark in order for us to cover.
Pick: OVER 223
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