The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the midst of a three-game stretch against teams from the Sunshine State. On Wednesday, they’ll take on the Miami Heat for the first of two games in a row against an opponent they could face in the first round of the playoffs.
The Cavs’ position at fourth in the conference is seemingly set. Spots five through 10 in the standings aren’t. Right now, two-and-a-half games separate the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors and the 10th-seeded Heat.
Miami is struggling and has fallen to the bottom of the Play-In as a result. They’ve lost five in a row. We’ll see if the Cavs can extend that losing streak a couple of games further this week.
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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (45-27) vs. Miami Heat (38-34)
Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH
When: Wed., March 25 at 7:30 PM
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports App, NBA League Pass
Point spread: Cavs -2.5
Cavs injury report: Jaylon Tyson – OUT (toe), Jarrett Allen – OUT (knee), Craig Porter Jr. – OUT (groin), Larry Nance Jr. – QUESTIONABLE (illness), Olivier Sarr – OUT (G League)
Heat injury report: Terry Rozier – OUT (not with team), Vladislav Goldin – OUT (G League), Trevor Keels – OUT (G League), Jahmir Young – OUT (G League)
Cavs expected starting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley
Heat expected starting lineup: Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo
Previous matchup: The shorthanded (and later fined) Cavs defeated the Heat 130-116 on Nov. 12.
Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.
|
Offensive Rating |
Defensive Rating |
Net Rating |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cavs |
118.9 (6th) |
114.5 (13th) |
+4.4 (9th) |
|
Heat |
116 (13th) |
113.2 (7th) |
+2.7 (11th) |
Dealing with a busted bracket?
The Sweet 16 is almost here – who’s still alive? We’re reviewing the week that was in the first week of the NCAA tournament and turning our focus to remaining teams. How bad (or good!) is your bracket? Join us in the SB Nation March Madness Feed and let’s talk about who’s most likely to make a run to glory.
Read the full article here