The Miami Heat – once one of the hottest teams in the NBA – have cooled off after their impressive start to the season as they’ve lost of their last four.
And to make matters worse, the struggling Heat will likely be without star Jimmy Butler as they look to avoid a third straight loss against the streaking LA Clippers at Staples Center.
Meanwhile, the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers will try to end their own losing skid when they host the struggling Toronto Raptors and the Utah Jazz will be out to preserve their perfect home record against the Indiana Pacers.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews all three games on the NBA schedule.
Toronto Raptors @ Philadelphia 76ers
The Raptors will head into Philadelphia in rotten form. They lost 104-88 to fellow Atlantic Division rivals the Boston Celtics in the first leg of their back-to-back last night, which was their third defeat in a row.
For the second-straight game, Toronto’s outside shooting was ice-cold as he went just 6-of-25 (24 per cent) on 3-pointers.
On the bright side for the Raptors, rookie Scottie Barnes continues to play well despite a thumb injury that kept him out for a couple of games. The young forward is third on the team in scoring with 16.6 PPG and leads them in rebounding with 8.7 RPG.
All-Star Pascal Siakam had 8 points in just his second game of the season and will likely be rested on the second night of a back-to-back.
The struggling Sixers are also dealing with the absence of several stars at the moment. After improving to an East-best 8-2, the Sixers have lost back-to-back games at home without star big man Joel Embiid, who tested positive for Covid. Embiid joins a lengthy list of absentees which also includes Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle.
Andre Drummond (45 rebounds in his last two games starting at centre), Tyrese Maxey (31 points vs the Bucks), and sixth man Georges Niang have stepped up amid the Sixers stars’ absence, but they clearly miss Embiid, who is so crucial for them on both ends of the court.
Betting Tip: Toronto Raptors Asian Handicap +1.50 @ 1.99
Indiana Pacers @ Utah Jazz
The Pacers fell to 4-8 on the season and a miserable 1-6 away from home after falling to the Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets 101-98 last night.
Malcolm Brogdon led the team with 25 points and Domantas Sabonis had 20 points and 19 rebounds in a losing effort.
Caris LeVert (17 PPG) missed the game with a sore lower back while rookie Chris Duarte had one of the worst shooting games of his young career, going just 2-of-9 for 6 points.
Indiana’s hopes of ending their road woes will face a significant test as they face the 8-3 Jazz, who ended their first losing streak of the season by beating the Atlanta Hawks 110-98.
The Jazz, who were the last team to lose their unbeaten record, improved to a perfect 4-0 at home this season, with three of their wins coming by 12 or more points.
Donovan Mitchell led the way with 27 points, while Mike Conley returned from his recent absence to add 12 points and six assists.
But the biggest NBA 2021 news for the Jazz was that reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson snapped out of his recent shooting slump and scored 16 points off the bench. Clarkson was key to Utah’s success this season, but he is off to a slow start this year, shooting just 35 per cent from the field.
Betting Tip: Utah Jazz Asian Handicap -9.50 @ 1.95
Miami Heat @ LA Clippers
After a hot start to the season, the Heat are suddenly cooling off. They lost their second game in a row and third in their last four last night against the similarly struggling Los Angeles Lakers, 120-117, in overtime.
They also lost superstar Jimmy Butler in the first half due to a sprained ankle. He will likely miss this game against the Clippers, which will be a huge blow to Miami’s NBA 2021 odds of snapping their losing streak.
Bam Adebayo and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Tyler Herro picked up the slack offensively in Butler’s absence as they had 28 and 27 points, respectively. Meanwhile, veteran point guard Kyle Lowry added 18 points and 11 assists in 46 minutes.
However, fatigue will likely play a factor for him and the rest of the Heat team as they play on the second night of a back-to-back against the Clippers, who are currently on a five-game winning streak.
Reggie Jackson’s emergence following an early slump has powered the Clippers’ attack. The 31-year-old point guard is averaging 20 points while shooting 42.5 per cent on 3-pointers.
Nicolas Batum has also been on fire from behind the arc – 22-of-37 (59.5 per cent) over his last five games – which has helped make up for the fact that All-Star forward Paul George has been on a shooting slump in his last three games.
Betting Tip: LA Clippers Asian Handicap -2.50 @ 1.88
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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