Miami aims to snap a five-game skid with a victory over Brooklyn.
The Miami Heat (14-12, ninth in the Eastern Conference) are set to host the Brooklyn Nets (7-18, 13th in the East) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EST in New York.
BETMGG SPORTSBOOK LINE: Heat -6.5; Over/Under 227.5.
Bottom line: Miami seeks to end its five-game slide by beating Brooklyn.
Brooklyn has gone 6-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. The Nets rank ninth in the East and average 25.7 assists per game, led by Nic Claxton with 4.4 assists.
The Heat are 8-7 against Eastern teams and lead the league in scoring in the paint, averaging 56.2 points per game, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. at 10.9 per game in the paint.
Brooklyn scores 110.2 points per game, 7.5 fewer than the 117.7 it allows; the Heat put up 120.7 per game, 4.8 more than the 115.9 the Nets yield.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Porter Jr. averages 25.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists for the Nets. Egor Demin has been averaging 17.0 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 75.0% over his past 10 games. For the Heat, Kel’el Ware is at 11.1 points and 10.2 rebounds, and Bam Adebayo has contributed 20.0 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES (Team form):
- Nets: 4-6, averaging 110.7 points, 41.6 rebounds, 26.6 assists, 7.5 steals, and 5.1 blocks per game on 45.8% shooting; opponents averaging 109.4 points.
- Heat: 4-6, averaging 114.2 points, 45.6 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 8.3 steals, and 5.9 blocks per game on 46.7% shooting; opponents averaging 115.7 points.
INJURIES: Nets — Haywood Highsmith (knee) out; Ben Saraf (illness) day to day; Cam Thomas (hamstring) out. Heat — Nikola Jovic (arm) day to day; Tyler Herro (toe) day to day; Pelle Larsson (ankle) out.
This report was produced by The Associated Press using Data Skrive and Sportradar.”
