NBA Regular Season 2023/24, Friday, 17.11.2023
Heat vs Nets is only one of two games that take place in the NBA from Thursday to Friday night, but that doesn’t make it a must for an NBA betting tip.
In my Heat Nets prediction, I don’t make a clear assumption about whether the Heat’s winning streak will continue. But New York’s strong wing defense should definitely put pressure on the scoreboard!
The Miami Heat have had a strong start to the new season with a record of 7-4. Conference-wide, they are only topped by the Celtics (8) and the 76ers in terms of wins.
Until recently, the Floridians were the subject of much derision.
Before the start of last postseason, many experts agreed that there was no way a team with 44 wins, a negative point differential and a 25th-ranked offense would spend more than a week in the playoffs.
But good coaching performances and a strong showing from key players in the decisive moments of the game took the Heat very far despite all expectations
As important as Spoelstra’s ingenuity and the two-way brilliance of Butler and Adebayo are to Miami’s chances of once again keeping pace with the competition in the East, a considerable responsibility also rests on the shoulders of the currently injured Tyler Herro.
The former Sixth Man of the Year turned starter and leading playmaker has watched virtually the Heat’s entire Finals run from the bench with a broken hand
He then spent the summer hearing his name linked to transfer rumors as the Heat made a not-so-unremarkable bid for Lillard’s services …
After just a few weeks, though, one thing is clear: Miami is working like clockwork. They’ve won six games in a row, and Jimmy Butler (32) and Bam Adebayo (21) were game-changers against the Hornets the day before yesterday with great performances each.
However, Adebayo is first and foremost a center who focuses on his defensive work and is reluctant to make an offensive appearance.
This will be a problem to some extent against the Nets, however, as the Black & Whites might well be able to take Jimmy Butler out of the game to such an extent that Miami will have to focus on other players offensively
Meanwhile, the free fall that many expected from the New York Islanders has failed to materialize. With a positive record of 6-5 and their 124-104 win over the Magic yesterday, they deserve all-round respect and recognition.
Spencer Dinwiddie is an excellent guard who has really blossomed after the departure of Kyrie Irving. But the Nets’ primary strength is their defense, which can certainly put up some resistance.
The Nets can put up a good fight, provided they don’t have to face a team of MVP caliber like the Bucks and Celtics.
The New York Islanders lost to these two teams in November by 125-129 and 107-121 respectively, but despite the defeats, they were not completely dismantled
As a result, I expect Jimmy Butler to break through sooner or later and possibly help the Heat to victory, but nothing more.
Because Miami doesn’t have the offensive quality at multiple positions that Milwaukee or Boston do to run up the score even when their best man is tightly covered.
As a result, instead of placing a customary 12-bet, I’ll look to the best sportsbooks to instead place a Heat Nets tip targeting the expected number of baskets.
Conclusion: Tyler Herro is also expected to be injured tonight, which takes away another option for the Bulls to score without Jimmy Butler.
Brooklyn, on the other hand, still has a strong wing defense despite all the departures, which should be able to control Butler at least to the extent that he will have to rely on the help of his teammates.
However, since Miami is nowhere near as good at scoring points as their guard, this should significantly curb their offensive production on Friday. I don’t expect a huge output from the New Yorkers in this regard anyway!
My Nets Heat tip: Under 217.5 points!
