Game story:
The 39-32 Miami Heat face a pivotal game in the thick of their playoff race tonight against the visiting Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry and the Warriors are in the midst of their own playoff race, so this game will have some extra meaning for both sides. Golden State enters tonight with a 36-34 record and sitting at the 10th seed and final West play-in spot.
After an Indiana Pacers win last night, Miami is 1.0 game back of the East sixth seed and hope to gain a half game back on them. The Warriors have been struggling as of late, going just 4-6 over their last 10 games. They recently just loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game that featured Curry drop a team-high 31 points.
However, the Heat are also 4-6 over their last 10, and trying to stay afloat amid a lot of team injuries. The Heat have the 4th most missed games due to injuries this season and 3rd most starting lineup changes across the league. Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are both ruled out again.
Kevin Love was upgraded to questionable for the first time in a month from his heel injury. Love’s shooting and ability to stretch the floor has been missed, especially with the absences of Herro and Robinson.
Miami’s last game on Sunday was a dominant near 40-point blowout against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Seven players for the Heat scored in the double digits, with the entire starting lineup with over 20 +\- when on the floor. Haywood Highsmith was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points but Bam Adebayo was the most impactful on both ends. Adebayo dropped a 15/16 double-double on 7/11 shooting with 5 steals.
The Warriors are a team, similar to Miami, that are much better than their record shows. Expect to see a lot of point of attack defense from Caleb Martin and Delon Wright to slow down Curry with length on the perimeter. Adebayo and Draymond Green will be another good matchup to watch.
Tonight’s game will tip off at 7:30 PM EST on Bally Sports Florida.
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
- Jaime Jaquez Jr (ankle) — QUESTIONABLE
- Caleb Martin (ankle) — QUESTIONABLE
- Kevin Love (heel) — QUESTIONABLE
- Duncan Robinson (back) — OUT
- Tyler Herro (foot) — OUT
- Josh Richardson (surgery) — OUT
Golden State Warriors:
- Trayce Jackson-Davis (knee) — QUESTIONABLE
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Miami Heat:
- Terry Rozier, G
- Patty Mills, G
- Jimmy Butler, F
- Nikola Jovic, F
- Bam Adebayo, C
Golden State Warriors:
- Stephen Curry, G
- Brandin Podziemski, G
- Andrew Wiggins, F
- Jonathan Kuminga, F
- Draymond Green, C
Betting Lines:
- Check the current odds out at FanDuel!
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 7:30 PM EST
- TV: Bally Sports Sun (Eric Reid, John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
Come back to Hot Hot Hoops at game time to join our GameThread and chat about the game live with other Heat fans!
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Two even teams?
And Jimmy is out? 😳🙄
how the f can he be out.he was at the miami open last night
It’s one of those rare moments we totally agree. Season on the line and he takes another day off. And back to backs coming up.
Good grief! A day after he attended a tennis tournament. Critical games with key players out.
Highsmith is a good defender to have around, especially when he is paired with Wright, Butler, Bam and Caleb. Stifling defense when you are trying to hold a lead late in a playoff game. He is insurance in case rotation players get hurt. Contract is cheap enough.
https://allucanheat.com/posts/haywood-highsmith-crack-miami-heat-playoff-rotation?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=e0273490fd355e2c28bdb25751d41af65a4dd80936ff00a80be9866c97887955
i like him more than caleb
Control what you can (efforts) and let the chips fall where it may.
Go Heat, Go!
hope bam and kuminga guard each other
It’s funny how you don’t hear much about Andrew Wiggins lately. He should be in the prime of his career right now. But, he seldom scores beyond the teens. I mean, he is still a good player, but there was talk of him being an all star type a few years back.
30 when your playing behind step and klay your shots and chances are limited.
I disagree. He has played about 30 minutes a game since joining the Warriors, averaging about 13 shots a game. He’s a good player who fell short of the expectations of being the #1 pick. But I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Heat uniform.
hed be the third best player on our team
More like 5th.
jim bam terry wiggins ty or jim bam wiggins terry ty
put him on a bad team hes 20-25 pts a night,its hard to keep your foucs and rythym playing with 2 superstars who get lots of shots .for me its hard to focus on my posts all the time when im posting with 3 superstar posters rc 30 and sunman.put me on a posting squad with manila and vagubi id be a superstar
Nah, if we have a HHH draft, I’d say Manila goes #1, lol.
im drafting jnicho 1
I got to say, the post of the year just happened….roses are red, violets are blue, I’m schizophrenic and so am I. Whoever wrote that is the best! I laughed out loud on that one.
sunman mocking me 30 ty
Lol I’m a Rd 2 draftee type ala Caleb 😂
undrafted.3% posts are your best post
Houston is right behind GS, so this game is crucial for them. As it is for Miami just to have 6th seed hopes alive.
As pointed out, those teams are better that their records shows.
Its gonna be a dog fight. Po game before PO.