The Miami Heat will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday at Miami-Dade Arena. Miami is 35-31 overall and 21-12 at home, while Cleveland is 41-26 overall and 13-19 on the road. These teams split their two meetings earlier this season which were both in Cleveland. Wednesday's contest is the first of a back-to-back in Miami as they'll play again on Friday.
Cleveland is favored by 2 points in the latest Heat vs. Cavaliers odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 215.5. Before entering any Cavaliers vs. Heat picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 21 of the 2022-23 NBA season a stunning 61-30 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,700. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Heat vs. Cavaliers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Heat vs. Cavs:
- Heat vs. Cavaliers spread: Heat +2
- Heat vs. Cavaliers over/under: 215.5 points
- Heat vs. Cavaliers money line: Miami +110, Cleveland -130
- Heat vs. Cavaliers picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Heat
The Heat came out on top in a nail-biter against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, sneaking past 130-128. The win came about thanks to a strong surge after the first quarter to overcome a 43-30 deficit. It was another big night for Miami's small forward Jimmy Butler, who had 26 points and nine assists in addition to nine rebounds.
Miami's calling card is its defense as it ranks second in points allowed per game and fifth in defensive rating. But it struggles on the other end of the court, ranking last in the NBA in points per game. Former Cav, Kevin Love, was brought in to help with that end of the floor but the veteran has struggled in six games, averaging just 7.5 points on 36.6% shooting. Love (rib) is questionable for Wednesday, while Kyle Lowry (knee) is out.
What you need to know about the Cavaliers
Speaking of close games: it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Cleveland ultimately got the result it was hoping for on Monday with a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics. The victory came about thanks to a strong surge after the third quarter to overcome a 92-78 deficit. Cleveland's shooting guard Donovan Mitchell did his thing and dropped a double-double on 40 points and 11 boards.
The Cavaliers' defense enters the matchup with only 106.6 points allowed per game on average, which is the best in the league. The twin tower duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are combining to average 18.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, to go along with 30.5 points. However, Cleveland is getting very little from its reserves as its 27.7 bench points per game is the second-fewest in the NBA.
How to make Heat vs. Cavaliers picks
The model has simulated Cavaliers vs. Heat 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Heat vs. Cavs? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Cavs vs. Heat spread you need to jump on Wednesday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
