Heat vs Warriors Betting Game: Can We Bet Against Injured Miami?
Injuries Galore in Heat-Warriors Game This Thursday
“Heat Culture” is More Like “Hurt Culture”
Miami fans know the drill: start sitting players by the middle portions of the regular season. We all saw it last season as Miami, riddled by “injuries,” finished 44-38 and eighth in the NBA playoff bracket. But that’s when the Heat saved their best basketball as they went all the way to the NBA Finals.
Now, Miami visits Golden State with a good chunk of its roster on the sidelines. Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, the team’s star veterans, are listed as “questionable” alongside sharpshooter Duncan Robinson. And listed as “doubtful” are swingmen Josh Richardson and Caleb Martin. Haywood Highsmith is listed as “probable.”
All in all, these are six players in the team’s rotation and four who occupy that shooting guard or small forward spot. It’s not ideal going against the Warriors, who have the likes of Klay Thompson and Brandin Podziemski. Highsmith is one of the team’s better defenders, so he’ll need to continue stepping up as he’s done this season.
Heat vs Warriors 
Day/Time: Thursday
“It’s been these incremental jumps of improvement, and it’s not linear,” Heat head coach Spoelstra said. “You have great days, some days that are not great, days that you have to forge through. He just has great fortitude.”
Highsmith helps lead the NBA’s best road defense. Miami Heat allows just 107.2 points as a visitor, which is the fewest. On the flip side, Golden State’s 115.9 points at home is just 16th overall. The NBA team is also shooting at just 45.1%, which is the third-least efficient.
The public have bet the totals to go up on the NBA odds since recent trends support it: five of Miami’s last six games against Golden State have.
Warriors Finding Form at Home
It was a brutal start to the Warriors’ season. But they are starting to figure it out at home with eight straight wins. And recently, the team’s offense has been much better. Golden State has scored 124 or more points in its last four home games and even against the NBA rankings’ alpha, the Celtics.
This is a positive development as the team begins a seven-game homestand with its first against playoff-caliber opponents. Stephen Curry is averaging over 30 points a game on 49% shooting at home. But his teammates chipping in more will push the team as the Heat vs Warriors betting game odds indicate.
Golden State is 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games. And it is 12-4 (7-1 at home) when it scores above its home average. The Warriors’ defense, which is supposed to be its anchor, has dipped to just 16th overall. That’s why this team needs more help with its scoring efficiency.
Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, the team’s second-best scorers, are shooting under 43%. And so is Chris Paul, the team’s superstar acquisition. But Paul can still help the team even without scoring as he needs to get the bench and role players more involved.
The Warriors are 8-2 when he hits double figures in assists and just 1-7 when he has five or fewer. It’s not a coincidence as he could be the X-Factor in determining if Golden State is worth backing in these Heat vs Warriors betting game odds.
If he can step up, betting Golden State to cover and the total to go ‘over’ are the right plays.
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