The Miami Heat (43-37) are the 7th seed going into the playoffs as they face the Washington Wizards (34-46) at the Capital One Arena on Friday (April 6).
The Heat has made it to the playoffs after a brilliant three-game winning streak. Their latest win came against the Philadelphia 76ers (129-101) which was an impressive feat. The Heat proved why they are one of the best defensive sides in the league and contained the likes of Joel Embiid and James Harden to only 21 and 14 points. Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro came up big with 24 points each while four other players registered themselves in double digits. They are now to face the Wizards, who are 12th in the East, and a four-game losing streak has caused them to miss out on the play-in spot.
The Wizards are just 2-8 in their last 10 games and faced a defeat against the Atlanta Hawks (134-116). Daniel Gafford has been building a decent profile playing as a center in the past few games. He led the scoring chart against the Hawks, putting up 25 on the night, while Jonathan Davis contributed 20 points. But the Hawks proved to be too strong as Trae Young ended the game with 25 points and John Collins had 23 point on the board. Four other players got themselves in double digits in the win.
Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards: Match Details
Fixture: Miami Heat @ Washington Wizards
Date & Time: Friday, April 7, 07:00 p.m ET
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards: Injury Report
There are a few injury concerns surrounding the two teams at present. Kyle Lowry is out with a knee injury for the Heat and Nikola Jovic is out with a back injury.
Bradley Beal is still unavailable for the Wizards due to a knee injury while Kristpas Porzingis is yet to recover from the illness. Monte Morris has been listed out due to an ankle injury whereas Kyle Kuzma is also out because of an ankle injury. Deni Avdija has an elbow injury that keeps his out of tonight’s game.
Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards: Injury List
| Player | Team | Status | Injury |
| Kyle Lowry | Miami Heat | Out | Knee |
| Nikola Jovic | Miami Heat | Out | Back |
| Bradley Beal | Washington Wizards | Out | Knee |
| Kristaps Porzingis | Washington Wizards | Out | Illness |
| Kyle Kuzma | Washington Wizards | Out | Ankle |
| Deni Avdija | Washington Wizards | Out | Elbow |
Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards: Betting Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Over/Under |
| Miami Heat | -260 | -6.5 (-110) | O 218 (-110) |
| Washington Wizards | +220 | +6.5 (-110) | U 218 (-110) |
Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards: Starting 5s
Heat: F Jimmy Butler, F Max Strus, C Bam Adebayo, G Tyler Herro, G Gabe Vincent
Wizards: F Corey Kispert, G Anthony GIll, C Daniel Gafford, G Jonathan Davis, G Jordan Goodwin
Miami vs Washington: Betting Prediction
The Heat has a 2-1 lead over the Wizards this season and have a chance to seal the series 3-1 in their favor. The Wizards have a negative home record at 18-21 while the Heat away from home is struggling at 17-23. But it doesn’t matter as the Wizards have a major injury problem. All their main players are injured at the moment which gives the Heat an added advantage. They are also the second strongest team in the league in defense, but are at the bottom when it comes to offense. On the other hand, the Wizards are ranked 22nd in offense and 17th in defense.
Considering the current form and statistics, the Heat should cover the spread tonight without much difficulty.
