Heat vs Cavaliers Odds, Picks & Predictions (Nov. 20)

• The Cavaliers are a 9.5-point favorite Sunday against the Heat
• Miami is missing a flurry of different players including Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro
• Find the odds, betting analysis, and Heat vs Cavaliers prediction below

The struggling Miami Heat (7-9, 1-5 away) continue their four-game road trip on Sunday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers (9-6, 5-1 home), who just ended a brutal five-game losing skid. The tip-off at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is scheduled for 7 PM ET. Keep reading for the Heat vs Cavaliers prediction.

Miami’s rotation was down to seven players in the overtime loss to Washington on Friday and that could very well be the case again here. Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro are out, while Bam Adebayo, Gabe Vincent, and Dewayne Dedmon are questionable. Duncan Robinson is also doubtful.  The Cavs on the other hand, broke out of their cold streak with an OT victory against the Charlotte Hornets Friday, 132-122.

Heat vs Cavaliers Odds

Odds as of November 19th at FanDuel.

The Cavs are a heavy 9.5-point home favorite against the depleted Heat with steep moneyline odds of -460. Miami comes back at +360.

Cleveland got the best of the Heat in 2021-22, winning two of three meetings by an average of 18.5 points.

Miami in Rough Shape

Despite being considered one of the contenders in the Eastern Conference, Erik Spoelstra’s squad is slumping early on. They’re 21st in the NBA in scoring, 19th in three-point percentage, and 24th in field goal percentage. The offense ranks 18th, while the defense is just 11th. And to make matters worse, injuries continue to ravage Miami.

Jimmy Buckets isn’t even on the road with the Heat for Sunday as he gets another look at his sore knee in South Beach. Herro is still sidelined with an ankle sprain, although it looks like he could return shortly. On a more positive note though, Miami put up a respectable fight in DC on Friday evening.

Tyler Herro again out for Heat on Sunday. Adebayo upgraded to questionable. Also questionable: Dedmon, Vincent. Duncan Robinson is listed as doubtful. Butler, Yurtseven, Haslem, Oladipo also out.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) November 19, 2022

Kyle Lowry looked his former self from the Toronto Raptors days, leading the charge with 24 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds in a whopping 50 minutes of action. Every single player (all seven) finished in double-digits in points. Rookie Nikola Jovic got his first career start and impressed, posting 18 points and six rebounds. Considering how shorthanded they were, it was surprising they almost beat a full-strength Wizards group.

Cavs Finally Get Back on Track

After losing their season opener, Cleveland captured eight wins in a row before hitting a rough spell of five defeats. But, the Cavs finally ended that on Friday, taking down the Hornets. Despite the bumps in the road, Cleveland is showing they could be a serious threat in the East with a top-five team on both ends of the floor and a true superstar leading the charge in Donovan Mitchell.

Spida is averaging 31.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per night while draining 41.5% of his triples and he was clutch again versus Charlotte, erupting for 34. However, it was actually backcourt mate Darius Garland who stole the spotlight, balling out for 41 points on 16 for 26 shooting from the field. Evan Mobley rounded it out with 21 points and 18 boards.

Since Garland returned from his eye injury:

Mitchell:
30.3 PPG, 4.6 APG, 1.1 STL, 64.2 TS%

Garland:
26 PPG, 8.4 APG, 1.8 STL, 57.3 TS% pic.twitter.com/O0JKe7AKYx

— Justin Rowan (@Cavsanada) November 19, 2022

The Cavs did a lot of their damage inside as they shot a mere 29% from deep but did outscore the Hornets 64-54 in the paint. The roster is looking relatively healthy for Sunday’s contest, with the exception of veteran Kevin Love, who is dealing with a thumb injury. He’s day-to-day at the moment. That will put more responsibility on the likes of Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens in the second unit.

Heat vs Cavaliers Prediction

To me, this is a no-brainer pick. 9.5 points might seem like a lot, but Miami is just missing far too many impact players at the moment. Between their 1-5 record on the road and Cleveland losing just once at home, the Cavs should comfortably cover.

Pick: Cavaliers -9.5 (-110)