Los Angeles Clippers vs. Miami Heat Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The surging Los Angeles Clippers continue their Eastern Conference swing with a trip to South Beach on Sunday to take on the Miami Heat. The Clippers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA at the moment and are closing in on the second spot in the Western Conference standings. The Heat, fresh off a deal bringing in shooting guard Terry Rozier from the Hornets, are trying to regain their footing and move back up the standings in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The opening tap is scheduled for 6:10 PM EST.

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Clippers Cruising

Health has a way of evening things out. For the past couple of seasons, the Clippers have struggled with the health of their two stars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and it was reflected in their record. This season both players have enjoyed a solid bill of health and the Clippers are on the rise. The addition of James Harden, along with Russell Westbrook, has given the Clippers four legitimate offensive stalwarts and has pushed the Clippers back to the top of the Western Conference standings. On Friday night in Detroit, the Clippers picked up another win, 136-125, over the Pistons in Detroit. Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 33 points and Russell Westbrook chipped in with 23 points to pass the 25,000 point-mark for his career in the victory.

“I’m so grateful to be on this team,” said Westbrook, who immediately fouled Cade Cunningham after his basket and celebrated with his teammates at the bench. “I don’t take any of this for granted.”

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 2, 2024

The Clippers are now on the verge of overtaking the Thunder for the second spot in the Western Conference. They come into Sunday's game with the Heat ranked 10th in the NBA in scoring offense. They Clippers are sixth in field goal percentage overall and first in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage. The Clippers are 13th in three-point field goals made per game this season. They are eighth in the NBA in scoring defense thus far. The team is sixth in field goal defense and eighth in three-point defense. On the glass, the Clippers are just 18th in the league in total rebounds per game this season. They are 9th in turnovers per game.

Key Injuries: C Ivaka Zubak is out.

Turn on the Heat

The Miami Heat shook up their roster last week trading away veteran point guard Kyle Lowry to the Hornets for shooting guard Terry Rozier. The Heat hope that Rozier brings life to their offense and athleticism on both ends of the court. Rozier's arrival came in the midst of the team's seven-game losing streak. Miami bounced back on Wednesday night with a win over the visiting Kings before traveling to DC on Friday night to take on the struggling Wizards. The Heat made it two straight wins with a 110-102 victory over the Wizards. Jimmy Butler led the way with 24 points and Bam Adebayo chipped in with 20 points and 14 rebounds to pick up a critical win.

“We’ve lost a couple games maybe because I haven’t been as aggressive as I’m supposed to be,” said Butler, who also went 9 of 13 from the line and grabbed nine rebounds. “We’ve talked about how that has to change. And you come out and be aggressive and keep everybody on their heels, because I think if I’m playing like that, it makes everybody else’s job a lot easier.”

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 1, 2024

The Heat still have time to gain continuity with their roster as they try and move up the standings in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Heat come into this game with just the 27th scoring offense in the NBA. They are 26th in field goal shooting percentage but are 7th in 3-point shooting. The Heat are just 16th, however, in 3-point field goals per game. They are 7th in the NBA in scoring defense this season. The Heat are 18th in field goal defense and 16th in 3-point defense. Miami struggles on the glass, ranked 26th in the NBA in total rebounds per game. The Heat are 11th in turnovers per game this season.

Key Injuries: F Duncan Robinson is questionable with a concussion.

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Best Bets for this Game

Full-Game Side Bet

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The Clippers are a bad matchup for the Heat. Miami does not possess very athletic wings except for Jimmy Butler. Leonard and George will have their way with the Heat on the offensive end much like the Celtics did recently with their high-scoring wing duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The Clippers, like Boston, shoot the 3-ball very well also, which will be a problem for the Heat. Leonard is back to playing shutdown defense, healthier than he's been in any of the last few seasons. He will likely have some floor time covering Butler which could slow down the Heat's most prolific scorer. George is also an above-average defender and will likely be tasked with slowing down Tyler Herro. The Heat's two advantages in the game will be through Adebayo and Rozier but Adebayo is not a high-leverage scorer and Rozier has been off to a slow start on the offensive end for the Heat. The Clippers will roll to a win on Sunday.

Take the Clippers.

Prediction: Clippers to Cover

Full-Game Total Pick

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The Clippers have scored 125 or more points in three of their last five games heading into Friday night's clash with the Pistons. They come into this game with the 10th-ranked scoring offense in the NBA and are 9th in fastbreak points. While neither the Heat nor Clippers move at a fast pace, they both shoot the 3-ball very well and that will help with the total in this game. Expect a fairly high-scoring game on Sunday, one that pushes past the total.

Take the over.

Prediction: Over

Mark has been a sports fanatic since childhood. He is also an avid follower of sports analytics and has used it in his own betting analysis for over two decades. Now we have Mark on our team here at Stat Salt. He holds degrees in marketing, broadcasting, and English and uses this vast array of assets to dissect and analyze game matchups. Mark will provide you with a wide variety of statistics to consider and a strong opinion in each matchup that he covers. Please follow him daily for an up-to-the-minute analysis of all the important games.