by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Mar 08, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Miami-Dade Arena, Miami, FL
Where to watch:
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Cavs -2
FanDuel: Cavs -2
BetMGM: Cavs -2
Caesars: Cavs -2
Season record
Cavs: 41-26
Heat: 35-31
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!
Cavs - Heat preview, prediction and analysis
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be playing the Miami Heat on Wednesday, March 8 in Miami, Florida.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won against the Boston Celtics on Monday, March 6 in Cleveland, Ohio with a score of 118-114. The Cleveland Cavaliers currently rank 2nd in the Central Division.
Lamar Stevens spent three quarters watching and waiting his turn. When it finally came, he didn't waste a single second.
Donovan Mitchell scored 40 points and Stevens came off the bench to fuel Cleveland's fourth-quarter comeback with his hustle, leading the Cavaliers to a 118-114 win on Monday night over the Boston Celtics, who lost their second overtime game in less than 24 hours.
Evan Mobley added 25 points and 16 rebounds for the Cavs, who improved to 7-0 in OT while avenging a loss in Boston five days ago. Cleveland trailed by 14 entering the fourth before Stevens, who only averages 12 minutes per game, entered and turned the game around.
“There is no way we win that game without Lamar,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He changed the tone, the physicality, the effort.”
After playing just nine seconds in the first three quarters, Stevens came off the bench and grabbed eight rebounds — six offensive — and scored eight points, including a 3-pointer with 2:14 left in OT to put Cleveland ahead 114-112.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have won six of their last 10 games.
The Miami Heat won against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, March 6 in Miami, Florida with a score of 130-128. The Miami Heat currently rank 1st in the Southeast Division.
Miami got the breathing room it needed over Atlanta. And now the Heat will take a bit of momentum into trying to chase down others in the Eastern Conference.
Jimmy Butler had 26 points, Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin combined to score 43 off the bench, and the Heat held off the Atlanta Hawks 130-128 on Monday night.
Butler also had nine rebounds and nine assists for Miami (35-31), which swept a two-game set from the Hawks and moved 2 1/2 games clear of Atlanta in the race for No. 7 in the East. The Heat took the season series 3-1, so they hold the tiebreaker as well.
“Our guys are competitors. They love these kind of games,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It gets my stomach twisting and turning and everything. But these guys just love it. It was important to get this two-game set. We knew the context of it.”
Bam Adebayo scored 16 points, Duncan Robinson had 14, Tyler Herro finished with 13 and the Heat set a season high with 59 bench points. They also made 16 3-pointers, their most in a game since Dec. 15.
“We grinded it out,” said Martin, who had 21 points, one fewer than Oladipo. “That's what we do.”
The Heat rallied to win from 15 or more points down for the fourth time this season, and improved to 14-8 in games decided by three points or less.
The Heat led for 1:07 in the very early going, but Atlanta had control by the end of the opening quarter. The Hawks shot 76% (19 for 25) in the first 12 minutes, led by as many as 15 and took a 43-30 edge into the second. It was the most points allowed by Miami in any quarter this season.
Atlanta kept the lead until the fourth, with the Heat chipping away. Martin had 16 points in the second quarter off the bench to help Miami get within 68-63 at halftime, and the Hawks’ lead was 96-92 entering the fourth.
The Miami Heat have won four of their last 10 games.
Prediction
Cavs 114, Heat 105
Projected starting lineup
Cavs:
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Isaac Okoro
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Alle
Heat:
PG: Gabe Vincent
SG: Tyler Herro
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Kevin Love
C: Bam Adebayo
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA/college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
