From the second-worst NBA record to playoff contention, the Miami Heat have indeed defied betting odds and surprised the sports betting community with their amazing turnaround.
The season is far from over, but getting into the playoff race and solidifying their position after an 11-30 start is an incredible feat for a team that has been written off earlier in the season.
Dallas Mavericks 74-116 Philadelphia 76ers
Dirk Nowitzki, with just 10 points in the game, was the only Dallas starter to reach double figures as the rest of his teammates struggled to make their shots. Philly, meanwhile, were the complete opposite as seven players scored in double digits, led by former Mavs’ guard Justin Anderson who tallied 19 points.
It also didn’t help Dallas that they trailed by as much as 43 points in the match.
Chicago Bulls 107-112 Washington Wizards
This meeting wasn’t as close as the scores suggest with the Wizards leading by 19 points at halftime. Although the Bulls slowly crawled their way back with a strong second-half performance, it was not enough for them to turn things around.
Bradley Beal made 24 points for Washington, while John Wall had a bigger impact with his 20 assists.
Boston Celtics 98-95 Brooklyn Nets
Boston escaped with a narrow victory in Brooklyn, thanks to a solid double-double performance from Jae Crowder. They were clearly struggling without the injured Isaiah Thomas, though they got lucky that the Nets were not able to find their rhythm from deep and made only 11 of their 35 attempts.
Toronto Raptors 87-75 Detroit Pistons
Although this match proved that the Pistons are a scary defensive team, it also highlighted their lack of scoring talent. Sure enough, Detroit did a good job in limiting Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan to just 14 points, but all of their efforts were wasted as they only scored nine points in the final quarter.
Houston Rockets 112-128 New Orleans Pelicans
It’s interesting to note that New Orleans won even without DeMarcus Cousins, especially against a playoff-bound team like Houston. Of course, it helped the Pelicans that James Harden—who finished with a triple-double—was the only one who played well for the Rockets, but this victory will surely encourage them to at least consider tinkering their starting five.
Minnesota Timberwolves 105-123 Miami Heat
The Heat banked on the big plays of Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside to outclass the young Wolves on both ends of the floor. Besides outrebounding the opposition 40-28, Miami also tallied 29 assists and nine blocks as they rout Minnesota by 18 points.
It’s Miami’s sixth win in seven games now as they continue to keep their rich vein of form alive, just in time for a deep run in the playoff race.
Orlando Magic 109-103 Phoenix Suns
With the shelving of Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Tyson Chandler, Phoenix made it clear that they are already in full tanking mode. Hence, the result of the game was expected as the Magic took down the Suns’ young guns behind a balanced offence sparked by Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic. It wasn’t much of a competition as well.
Milwaukee Bucks 107-103 Los Angeles Lakers
Milwaukee squandered a 15-point first-half lead but held on to pile more misery on the tanking Lakers. The Purple and Gold narrowed the lead to just three points and had a chance to send the game to overtime after Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled out with seven seconds remaining on the clock; however, the time was not enough as the Bucks maintained their lead to keep the Lakers rooted at the bottom of the West standing.
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