Miami Heat vs. Washington Wizards Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The Miami Heat are traveling to Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. to face the Washington Wizards. Miami is 25-23 and sits 7th in the Eastern Conference. Washington is 14th in the Eastern Conference and has a record of 9-38. Miami won their match earlier this season against the Wizards with a score of 114-121. The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST.

Miami Relying on Their Defense

The Miami Heat are traveling to Washington after their win on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings with a final score of 115-106. Miami has broken a seven game losing streak with their win against the Kings. Unfortunately four of those losses came from the Heat playing at home. Now Miami heads on the road with a record of 0-3 in their last three road games.

Miami has been playing well defensively this season with the Heat averaging 111.6 points allowed per game. They are keeping their opponents from scoring mainly by keeping opposing teams from shooting the ball. Miami ranks third in field goals allowed per game. Sadly it has not been enough lately with the Heat only averaging 110.5 points per game, which places them fourth to last in the NBA. While they are preventing shot attempts on defense they are not taking any shot attempts when possessing the ball with them ranking second to last in field goal attempts this season.

Wizards Retain the Worst Defense

The Washington Wizards are coming off a loss on Wednesday against the LA Clippers with a final score of 109-125. This would add to their recent losses with the Wizards now having seven losses in their last ten games. The Wizards have struggled at home lately and have yet to win a match at home since their victory at home against the Brooklyn Nets on 12/29 with a final score of 110-104.

The Washington Wizards continue to have the worst ranked defense in the league with their team allowing 124 points per game on average. Most of their struggles come from inside the three point line where the Wizards allow the fourth worst field goal shooting percentage, second worst field goal attempts allowed per game, and the most field goals against per game. On offense the Wizards are managing to average 115 points per game, a nine point difference from their allowed points per game.

Both Marvin Bagley III and Jordan Poole are listed as questionable for Fridays matchup. Bagley is averaging 15.5 points per game and Poole ranks second on the team averaging 16.5 points per game.

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Best Bets

Full-Game Side Bet

Rating:

I think the line is favoring Washington a bit too much in this match. In their last ten meetings the Wizards have managed to cover a +8 spread in seven of the ten games. While I do believe this game will be a close match, the Wizards seem to have the edge when we look at their recent matches. Miami is 1-4 in their last five games and the Wizards are 2-3 in their last five. While I would not bet on Washington winning this game, I do think they will keep it within eight points.

I am taking the Wizards at +8.

Prediction: Washington Wizards +8 ( -108 )

Full-Game Total Pick

Rating:

When we compare both teams averages on offense and defense in their last three games, this season, and home/away, we get a projected total of 229. In their last ten meetings the total has gone over 232.5 only once, with the final score of that game ending in a total score of 235. Miami is going to dictate the pace of this game and with their average pace this season of 99.2 possessions, I am going to look toward the under.

I am siding with the under at 232.5.

Prediction: Under 232.5 ( -110 )

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Anthony has always been surrounded by sports. Whether its watching the Penguins win the cup or the Steelers winning another ring, he saw what it took to win it all. He enjoys breaking down stats and applying them to spreadsheets to better his picks. With the combination of watching trends and his spreadsheets, Anthony has been very successful as a sports bettor. His last name is the German word for people and it is clear that he is the people's choice when it comes to handicapping.