Cleveland @ Miami
Current Records: Cleveland 17-31; Miami 25-24
The Miami Heat's homestand continues as they prepare to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8 p.m. ET April 3 at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat will be strutting in after a win while Cleveland will be stumbling in from a loss.
Miami beat the Golden State Warriors 116-109 on Thursday. It was another big night for Miami's small forward Jimmy Butler, who had 22 points and eight assists along with six boards.
Meanwhile, Cleveland's and the Philadelphia 76ers' matchup on Thursday was up for grabs at halftime, but Cleveland was thoroughly outmatched 56-38 in the second half. The Cavaliers ended up on the wrong side of a painful 114-94 walloping at the Sixers' hands. Point guard Collin Sexton put forth a good effort for the losing side as he had 24 points.
The Heat are the favorite in this one, with an expected 12.5-point margin of victory. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a three-game streak of ATS wins.
Miami is now 25-24 while Cleveland sits at 17-31. A couple stats to keep an eye on: Miami comes into the game boasting the third fewest points allowed per game in the league at 107.2. Less enviably, the Cavaliers are stumbling into the contest with the fewest points per game in the league, having accrued only 102.7 on average. They might struggle to break 100.
The Heat are a big 12.5-point favorite against the Cavaliers, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 12.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -112
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Miami have won 14 out of their last 19 games against Cleveland.