Two struggling teams try to get things going in the right direction as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat meet on Christmas Day. LeBron James and the Cavaliers played in the NBA Finals last season but look nothing like a contending team this year. Cleveland sits in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. "Last year I thought we played with more energy and more passion,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said, "Right now, at times we've come out flat and dug ourselves a hole." SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Heat on the Road.
NBA Betting Preview
Miami Heat (8-19) at Cleveland Cavaliers (12-16)
Tuesday, 2:35 pm Eastern – ABC
SBG Global Opening Line: Cavaliers -4.5 , Total 193
Things are not any better for the Miami Heat. With superstars Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O'Neal healthy it was expected that Miami would get back to being a contender but that has not happened. The Heat are nine games back of division-leading Orlando. "I'm not into winning anymore and I'm not into losing,” Miami coach Pat Riley said, "I'm into fighting. I think we have to live for the fight.” The Heat finally got a big win on Saturday as Wade hit a 20 footer at the buzzer to beat the Jazz 104-102. "I was just trying to be aggressive and got a shot,” said Wade, "It's big. It's big because we'd lost four of our last five games. This is a very good team and this shows the toughness of the team. We can build from here.”
Cleveland is coming off a pathetic effort on Sunday at home against Golden State. They were booed off the court as they lost 105-96 in a game that was not nearly that close. Cleveland trailed by 28 points in the third quarter. They have lost 10 of their last 13 overall. Cleveland has allowed at least 100 points 17 times this season. "We have to play with a sense of urgency on both ends of the floor," Brown said. "Defensively we're going through the motions. When we contest shots we have our hand up but it's really no true contest to make them feel us, like we have in the past. That's something we have to keep preaching."
SBG Global Current Line: Cavaliers -4.5 , Total 192
The Heat have experience playing on Christmas Day. They have played the Lakers the past three years and won each time. The Cavaliers haven’t played on Christmas since losing to Orlando in 2003.
Here are the NBA betting stats for Tuesday’s game. The Heat are 6-22-2 ATS in their last 30 vs. the Eastern Conference. The Heat are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Tuesday games. The Heat are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Heat are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 vs. the Central.
The Cavaliers are 28-13 ATS in their last 41 Tuesday games. The Cavaliers are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 home games. The Cavaliers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Cavaliers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. the Eastern Conference.
The Over is 6-0 in Miami’s last 6 road games. The Over is 9-2 in Miami’s last 11 overall. The Over is 7-3 in Miami’s last 10 vs. the Central. The Over is 5-1 in the Cavaliers last 6 vs. the Southeast. The Under is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings between the two teams.
