Cleveland Cavaliers (41-26) at Miami Heat (35-31)
The Cavs head to Miami on the back of a tough 4 pt win over the Celtics at home. After falling behind by 15 pts, the Cavs rallied to win in OT as Donovan Mitchell finished with 40 pts. They will now play their next 4 games on the road and they'll be keen to snap a 3 game-losing streak away from Cleveland. There's also the revenge factor after losing to the Heat at home in early February 100-97. In terms of their starting lineup, they'll likely go with the same starting 5.
The Heat are coming off back-to-back wins over the Hawks on their home court and they'll be looking to achieve the same result against the Cavs. Jimmy Butler scored 26 pts in their latest win and just fell short of a triple-double by an assist & board. They're still without Kyle Lowry so Vincent will continue to start at point guard. Kevin Love is questionable after missing their last game so he could play in this one.
With a 21-1 home record against the Cavs, the Heat do look good value as a home underdog. The Cavs could be a bit tired after an OT game and haven't consistently played well on the road this season. Miami are 10-3 in their last 13 at home and should be able to cover.
Stadium Record
Miami are 7-3 in their last 10 at home. Cleveland has a woeful 1-21 record in Miami.
Head to Head Record
The season series is tied at 1-1 but the Heat have won 6 of the last 10 since 2020.
Best Bet
Oklahoma City Thunder (31-34) at Phoenix Suns (36-29)
The Thunder are starting to heat up after 3 straight wins. On Wednesday, they held on to beat the Warriors in a high-scoring affair 137-128. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has returned from injury and hasn't shown any rust in two straight 30+ point outings. However, he will miss this clash due to load management along with Jalen Williams. So it will be up to the likes of Giddey and Dort to get the Thunder over the line, which will be a challenge.
The Suns are now 3-0 with Kevin Durant on the court and they'll be favoured to make it 4-0 against the Thunder. They come off an impressive win over the Mavs as the Durant/Booker combination was in full force. Durant finished with a game-high 37 pts and also got the better of his old teammate Kyrie Irving. Meanwhile, Booker is in red-hot shooting form after scoring 35 or more pts in his last 3 games - all since Durant joined the Suns. However, this matchup does seem like it has blowout potential so the Suns could opt to rest their starters throughout the contest.
There likely won't be much defence in this contest so we like the Over. The Thunder are on a back-to-back and will be without SGA. The Over is also 5-0 in their last 5 and 4-2 at this venue. It's hard to see them stopping the lethal Durant/Booker scoring combination.
Stadium Record
Phoenix are 7-3 in their last 10 at home. Oklahoma City has lost 5 of their last 6 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The Suns are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings since 2020.
Best Bet
Toronto Raptors (32-34) at LA Clippers (34-33)
The Raptors are looking to bounce back after a 5 pt loss against the Nuggets on Tuesday. Their offence has been struggling a bit lately as they're averaging just 106 points in their last 5. However, they do get a better matchup against a Clippers defence that's given up 122 pts in their last 5. Toronto will also be looking to avenge their 124-113 loss against the Clippers in December. In lineup news, they don't have any new injuries to report and will likely start the same 5 as last game.
The Clippers finally ended their losing streak on Monday with a 135-129 victory over the Grizz. Paul George exploded for 42 pts and Leonard was also impressive with 34 pts. Kawhi will be keen to play well against his former side in this contest as well. Their home form hasn't been overly great recently with just 4 wins in their last 10 but this is a winnable game against the Raptors. In terms of injuries, Norman Powell is still out with injury but their starting lineup should remain the same.
Both sides are fairly inconsistent so betting on the points should be a bit more predictable. Overall, the Under is 17-8 in the Clippers last 25 home games and it's also 4-1 when they host the Raptors.
Stadium Record
Los Angeles hold a 2-3 record in their last 5 home games. Toronto has lost 4 of their last 6 against the Clippers in LA.
Head to Head Record
Since 2018, the Clippers are 6-4 in this matchup.
Best Bet
