The Miami Heat have won six in a row in dominating fashion, while the Memphis Grizzlies are on a free fall. Can Erik Spoelstra and his boys capitalize?
Catch the game tomorrow at 7:30 AM, Manila time.
AWAY: Memphis Grizzlies (44-32, 19-18 AWAY)
Projected starting five:
- Ja Morant
- Desmond Bane
- Jaylen Wells
- Santi Aldama
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Grizzlies, who are still fresh-off the shocking firing of six-year head coach, Taylor Jenkins, are now just 1-7 in their last nine outings, scoring 116.0 points per game with a -7.5 net rating in that span. Because of the tight race out West, they have fallen from 4th to 8th in a matter of days. At this point, who knows how low they can plummet?
The one bright area for tomorrow, however, is their one-sided victory over the Heat last March 16th, 125-91, which was without Ja Morant. Other key guys Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane led the charge, with the former going for 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting, and the latter flirting with a triple-double by posting 22 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.
Morant has missed 30 games this season, but he has appeared in each of the team’s last three contests, and with all the urgency for the playoffs, he’s likely to suit up. His trio with JJJ and Bane are always a threat, and they are surrounded by a good cast: Santi Aldama, Luke Kennard, and rookies Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells.
HOME: Miami Heat (35-41, 18-19 HOME)
Projected starting five:
- Davion Mitchell
- Tyler Herro
- Andrew Wiggins (DTD) Alec Burks
- Bam Adeabyo
- Kel’el Ware
After a horrific 10-game losing streak filled with lackadaisical effort and choke jobs, the Heat are grinding it out and have now stitched together six consecutive wins. It’s a massive turnaround too, as they are on a +20.5 point differential.
The playoff push and recent defeat at the hands of the visiting Grizzlies should be on the team’s minds, and we’ll see how much it’ll translate tomorrow. As always, top scorers Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo will be the main combo, although it’s been a collective effort as of late, including acquisitions Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, and rising rookie Kel’el Ware – note that Wiggs is day-to-day, though. It’s a good bunch of hustle and two-way style of plays.
It will be interesting to see how Miami will handle the overflowing momentum and the terrible vibes Memphis has, either they continue pounding the opposition, or they become complacent and fall to their old ways again.
PICKS:
Spread: Heat (+4.5)
Over/Under: Over (225.5)
