The Miami Heat (1-3) return home Wednesday night from a disappointing 0-3 road trip that saw them drop games in Boston, Minnesota and Milwaukee.
Miami welcomes the Brooklyn Nets (1-2), who finally broke through the win column Monday by routing Charlotte, 133-121.
The Nets lost their first two games by a combined six points against Cleveland and Dallas, but Brooklyn has managed to start 3-0 against the spread this season.
The Heat haven’t looked particularly sharp through four games as their lone win came by one point against the Pistons in their season opener.
Miami went back and forth with Boston before losing, 119-111, and followed that defeat up with a 106-90 decision to the T-Wolves in the second game of a back-to-back without star guard Jimmy Butler.
Milwaukee rebounded from a blowout loss to Atlanta by beating up Miami in a playoff rematch Monday, 122-114, as Butler scored only 13 points after torching the Bucks in the postseason upset last season.
The Nets had the Heat’s number last season by winning all three matchups, including a 129-100 blowout in Miami late in the season as 5.5-point underdogs.
Even though they’ve started 1-2, the Nets have been super competitive in all three games.
They beat the Hornets by 12 points on the road Monday night without Nic Claxton and Cameron Johnson and half a game without Spencer Dinwiddie, who sprained an ankle in the first half.
All three are expected to miss Wednesday’s game.
Betting on the NBA?
Brooklyn might not have the star power it did over the last few seasons, but guard Cam Thomas is averaging 33.0 points per game, while guard Mikal Bridges is putting up 20.7 ppg.
Ben Simmons appears to have found new life in Brooklyn, averaging a near triple-double (8-10-8) with a steal and block over three games.
Although Miami should be able to turn things around sooner than later, it’s worth a strong look to take Brooklyn and the points in this matchup.
Best Bet: Nets +5 (DraftKings)
Source
