A nine-game slate on Thursday with some huge matchups. The Magic host the Spurs, with both teams climbing their respective standings, while the Mavericks have shown some promise in their last couple of games with two rookies stepping up, plus the return of Anthony Davis.
Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks
The Miami Heat are one of the surprise packets of the season, sitting third in the East with a 14-7 record, and they’ve just reintroduced Tyler Herro into their system. Bam Adebayo also missed a couple of weeks through injury.
Dallas, on the other hand, has been a complete disaster this season, from AD’s early injury to more issues for Gafford and Lively. Then there’s the whole Nico Harrison debate. But there’s some hope. AD has returned and was dominant in their win over the Nuggets, while Cooper Flagg has exploded in the last couple of games. Can they win three in a row when they host Miami?
LEG 1 - Tyler Herro 20+ Points
Herro has returned to the lineup and is immediately playing 30 minutes a night. He has been red-hot and shown no signs of rust.
He averages 24.8 points per game, is shooting 54% from the field and from deep, and has hit 20+ points in all four games since returning.
LEG 2 - Bam Adebayo 15+ Points
No issues for Bam Adebayo playing alongside Tyler Herro, who continues to lead the Heat through their surprising start to the season.
Bam averages 19.4 points per game, and in the four games he’s played alongside Herro he has hit 15+ on all four occasions.
He has hit 15+ in every game this season excluding the one he exited early due to injury against Detroit. He should clear this again with ease.
LEG 3 - Anthony Davis Over 2.5 Assists
The sheer usage through AD should see him produce a few assists in this matchup with the Heat.
He averages just under 3 assists per game from his seven appearances this season, and from his last six he has hit 3+ in five of them. The only miss came against the Pacers, where he played only six minutes due to injury.
I also expect the Heat to play some zone, which could see AD operate as a distributor from the elbow.
SAME GAME MULTI
Herro 20+ Points / Adebayo 15+ Points / Davis Over 2.5 Assists = $3.60
VALUE BET
Kel’El Ware Double Double @ $2.95
With the Mavericks likely to start AD and PJ Washington, this could be a matchup where the Heat start both Bam and Ware, possibly at the expense of Davion Mitchell or if Norman Powell misses through injury.
Ware as a starter is an automatic double double. He averages 12.9 points and 11.4 rebounds in starts this season, and has recorded double doubles in his last seven starts.
Coach Spoelstra has mixed up the starting lineup a fair bit this season, but with Dallas’ front-court size this appears to be a good opportunity to start Ware at centre.
