Before the season, this was going to be a tantalizing matchup between the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets. In reality, though, the Heat have lost three straight and 10 of their last 16 games while the Nets are challenging for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. These are two teams headed in opposite directions in the conference standings, and both should continue heading in those directions after Sunday’s game.
In a different time, Sunday’s matinee in Miami between the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets would be appointment television. Instead, it’s the Nets who are where many people expected them to be as they battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Heat have lost three in a row and 10 of their last 16 games to sit at an even 28-28 overall and the seventh seed in the conference. The Heat look nothing like the team that fought its way to the NBA Finals last year in the bubble. Jimmy Butler called out his teammates after Friday’s loss to Minnesota, telling reporters that the Heat are too soft to play against and they have been consistently humbled every time they think they are a good team. He was also critical of Bam Adebayo, who Butler said has started to settle for too many jump shots and needs to get back to being a bully in the lane. Miami is struggling to find enough players to support Butler’s efforts Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are among the names in addition to Adebayo who have not been consistent enough for Miami to have success. Miami is going to have to wake up quickly as well with the Nets coming to town on Sunday. Brooklyn is an offensive dynamo that has been destroying the weaker defenses in the league all season long. In its last 10 games, Brooklyn is averaging nearly 118 points per game with three performances in the last five games in which the Nets have eclipsed 125 points. Miami has reached 118 points just once since the beginning of March and has allowed teams to shoot 47 percent from the field against it over the last 16 games. Though Harden won’t play Sunday against Miami, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both healthy and ready to take aim at the Heat’s vulnerable defense. The Nets are the obvious favorite at the legal sports betting sites in New Jersey, averaging around seven points on the spread. I would honestly be surprised if the Nets don’t win this game by double digits, so I’ll bet on Brooklyn to win by at least 11 points for +150 odds on the basketball betting sites in New Jersey. I’ll add onto that by splitting the difference as well by betting on Brooklyn to win by 11-15 points at +500 odds and the Nets to win by 16-20 points at +750 odds because I doubt they win by more than 20 on the road given Butler’s performance recently. I’ll finish with a player-centric wager from the NBA betting sites in New Jersey and bet on Joe Harris to score at least 20 points in a Brooklyn win at +1100 odds.
Brooklyn -6 points It’s never good when your superstar has to go to the media and tell them that your team is soft. That is the case for Miami, which has not looked anywhere near the same team that advanced to the NBA Finals last year. Brooklyn is back to having two members of their Big 3, and that is more than enough talent to skate past the Heat given how Miami is playing recently.
