An old Eastern Conference rivalry renews Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET when the surging Cavaliers visit a Heat team fighting for a playoff berth. The Cavaliers are 3.5-point favorites and the over-under for total points scored is 220.5.

For optimal insight on this nationally televised contest, listen to what SportsLine analyst Galin Dragiev has to say. The veteran NBA handicapper has a solid history involving these teams. Dragiev has a 33-22 against-the-spread mark when the Heat or Cavaliers are involved and enters this week on a 6-3 ATS run with his NBA picks for any team.

Now, he has zeroed in on Tuesday's Cavs-Heat game and locked in a strong point-spread pick.

He knows Miami appears to have a comfortable grip on a playoff berth, as it holds the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference by five games over Detroit despite a two-game losing streak.

But the Heat can take nothing for granted down the stretch because fortunes are known to change fast if a trailing club gets hot at the right time. Playoff positioning also is of concern and Miami is battling Milwaukee and Washington for what could be a crucial move up the seeding ladder.

Miami suffered a pair of six-point road losses to Oklahoma City and Indiana following a three-game win streak. The Heat have thrived at American Airlines Arena, where they have won nine straight.

The Heat have used a solid defense (103.1 ppg, No. 4 in the NBA) and balanced scoring to make an impressive second-half surge. Tyler Johnson led six players in double figures with 19 points in the overtime loss to the Pacers.

LeBron James had 37 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a 121-114 victory over the Nets on Sunday. Cleveland had five players reach double figures and, perhaps most encouraging, Kevin Love scored 20 to go with 15 rebounds and four assists.

The home team has covered the spread in 11 of the past 14 meetings in this series. Miami has covered six straight home games, while Cleveland has beat the number in four straight overall.

So which motivated club should prevail and cover the spread in this prime-time matchup? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of Cavaliers-Heat you need to support Tuesday, all from a proven NBA handicapper on a 33-22 run.