10:10 pm
January 5

Heat @ Trail Blazers

Who will WIN this matchup?

Miami Heat (23-15)

@ Portland Trail Blazers (14-22)

 

Current odds:

Miami Heat: (-140)

Portland Trail Blazers: (+120)

 

• The spread for the game is Miami by 2.5 points.

• Miami comes in halfway through its road swing, which matches the Heat’s longest this season. After starting the trek Dec. 31 with a 120-110 win at Houston, Miami dropped its last two against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday 115-113 and Monday at Golden State 115-108. The loss to the Warriors came with an additional toll. Jimmy Butler was helped off the court in the third quarter having sustained what the team later announced was a right ankle injury. He has been ruled out against the Blazers.

• The Sun Sentinel reported the team hopes to have Butler back by the end of the week. Butler sets the tone offensively for Miami with a team-leading 23.2 points per game, but also leads the way for one of the league’s most aggressive defenses with 2.0 steals a game. Amid a rash of absences from the lineup, the Heat are on a four-game streak of surrendering more than five points per game above their average. Miami’s 104.2-point per game allowed ranks fourth best in the NBA through Tuesday, but it has allowed an average of 113.0 points in its last four.

• Portland endured its own misfortunes due to protocol and injuries of late. With a litany of players sidelined over the past month – including 20.6-point scorer CJ McCollum since Dec. 6 with a collapsed lung – the Blazers have struggled. They went through losing skids and seven and four games since the beginning of December, the latter of which they snapped Monday with a 136-131 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

• Anfernee Simons erupted for a career-high 43 points in the victory, carrying the load with Damian Lillard (23.7 points per game) out for rest. Norman Powell added 26 points in the win, which opened a five-game homestand for the Blazers. Nasir Little scored 22 points, and Jusuf Nurkic finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in his return from a three-game absence due to health and safety protocol.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Miami Heat
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