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The Miami Heat (41-22) will take on the Brooklyn Nets (32-31) at Barclays Center on Thursday night. Tipoff for this contest is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on TNT.
The Heat just dropped a big result in Milwaukee with a 120-119 final score, after giving up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. It came down to a layup in the final seconds from Jrue Holiday to seal the loss for Miami as they saw their four-game winning streak come to a close.
The Nets are coming off back-to-back losses to the Raptors, with a 133-97 blowout on Monday followed by a close 109-108 loss the very next night. They’re now 3-7 in their last 10 and sit in eighth place, hanging on just above .500. However, Kevin Durant is set to make his return to the court tonight against the Heat after missing 21 games with a sprained MCL.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Miami is favored by 2.5 points on the road tonight, with moneyline odds at -130. The Nets aren’t far behind at +110, with the point total set at 222.
Heat vs. Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Heat -2.5 (-115)
Durant’s return couldn’t come at a better time for Brooklyn, as they’ve gone just 5-16 without him in the lineup. He’ll be coming back to make his first appearance since James Harden was traded to the 76ers in exchange for Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, and Ben Simmons. Brooklyn needs all the help it can get at this point as they’ve slipped from top of the east down to the eighth spot, and KD should provide plenty of firepower as they head into the playoff push.
The Heat are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, and despite losing at the buzzer last night, they’re still 8-2 in their last 10 outings, sitting on top of the Eastern Conference. Tonight will mark the second of back-to-back road games for Miami as Tyler Herro led the team in Milwaukee with 30 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Herro is off to a great start in March, after he wrapped up February that saw him average 21.1 points through seven games played.
Miami has gone 3-1 ATS in their last four games, while the Nets have done it just twice in that same span. Getting KD back will be a huge bonus for Brooklyn, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be playing limited minutes, and how big his immediate impact will be in his first game back. The Heat are playing some of the best ball in the league right now, so I’m sticking with them to at least eke out a win and cover this one.
Over/Under: Over 222 (-110)
Betting the over when Miami is playing is almost an instinctual reaction. The over is 38-25 this season for the Heat, marking the second best record in the league. The Nets have gone over the total in eight of their last 10, and now getting Durant back can only help their offense as well. Play the trend and take the over in this one.
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