Game Time: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, January 3rd, 2022 

Venue:  Chase Center, San Francisco, California

Where to Watch:  NBA TV

DraftKings:  Spread: NL

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread:  NL

Caesars: Spread: NL

Heat: 23-13, 4th place Eastern Conference

Warriors: 28-7, 1st place Western Conference

The Miami Heat are recovering from early season stumbles… and recovering nicely.  They are missing a handful of important guys to injury and covid diagnosis.  The cool part of Covid is that when guys started to drop like flies from every team’s rosters… every team started bringing up G-Leaguers and signing guys off the free agent heap.  The Heat did that, but they also still have Mr. Miami himself, Udonis Haslem, to suit up.  The single greatest NBA career of all time, not the greatest player, the most childhood dream fulfilling career would have to be Udonis Haslem.  Udonis went to and played basketball at a Miami high school, he followed that by attending and playing for the University of Miami.. He followed that with two decades as a member of the Miami Heat where he was a big part of 3 NBA championships, playing alongside several of the biggest ballers of all time.  The Heat are winners of 8 of their last 10 games. Currently they are on a five-game winning streak.  They aren’t a safe betting opportunity as they are only 2-3 ATS during the streak… Even though the Warriors will be favored, never count out the Heat putting up a fight.  There is also a trap being set for gamblers.  The five game winning streak has come against the Houston Rockets, the Washington Wizards, the Orlando Magic, the Detroit Pistons, and the Indiana Pacers… Each and every one of these teams would represent a “get right” game… in a row it becomes a “get right streak”.... It remains to be seen if the Heat have been toughened by winning or softened by playing five easy teams in a row (except for the Wizards, who can be good when all healthy).

The Golden State Warriors have undergone a full blown resurgence since falling into the bottom of the league after Kevin Durant left and Klay Thompson got injured two ½ years ago.  It’s actually quite a bit like bulbs in a garden… receding for a couple seasons only to grow bigger and brighter than they were.  We don’t have to review how and why Kevin Durant left Golden State for the Brooklyn Nets… but it is interesting that this season will be Kevin’s best chance at a Championship in Brooklyn.  Yet at the same time Golden State has built a Western Conference powerhouse from drafting and trading and retaining the two guys most responsible for getting Durant his only Championship ring (Stephen Curry and Draymond Green)... They may be on a collision course for more KD heartbreak. Golden State is 4-1 over their last 5 games and 4-1 ATS.  They are winners and they win.  They are 7-3 over their last ten games, but 5-4-1 ATS.  Coming soon will be a comeback by SG Klay Thompson… There will be a lot of rust after 2 years.  He will need time and that may cause some turmoil on the roster… still the idea of eventually having Steph, Klay, and Draymond drop-kick Kevin Durant and his MVP loaded roster out of the NBA Finals is why the NBA is so great.

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The Heat are 23-13 on the season, but 20-16 ATS.  They have logged 21 Overs and 15 Unders.  They are 11-9 in road games.

The Warriors are 28-7 on the season, but 22-11-2 ATS.  They have notched 12 Overs, 22 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 16-3 in home games.

Miami is 17th ini scoring with 107.7 per game, 18th in rebounds with 44.3 per game, and 13th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7.  They are shooting 12th in FG%, 4th in 3PT%, and 7th in FT%.  The engine driving this winning machine is that they are 3rd in defense while only allowing 103.6 ppg from opponents.

Golden State is 6th in the NBA in scoring with 111.2 points per game, 6th in rebounds with 46.1 per game, and 12th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  They are shooting fantastically as usual 4th in FG%, 5th in 3PT%,... the chink in the armour is at the free throw line where they are 27th in the league.  The engine that drives all this winning is that GS is 1st in defense in the NBA while only allowing 101.3 ppg from opponents.

Our prediction for Monday, January 3rd is…. Warriors 118 - Heat 109

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Miami is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games.

The total has gone Over in 5 of Miami’s last 6 games.

Miami is 5-6 ATS in their last six games against Golden State.

The total has also gone Over in 5 of Golden State’s last 6 games.

Heat: C Bam Adebayo (thumb) Out, PF Markieff Morris (neck) Out, SG Victor Oladipo (quad) Out, SF PJ Tucker (covid) Out, PF Udonis Haslem (covid) Out

Warriors: C James Wiseman (knee) Out indefinitely, SG Klay Thompson (knee) Out.. but soon a big return

Heat: PF Caleb Martin, SF Jimmy Butler, C Omer Yurtseven, PG Kyle Lowry, SG Tyler Herro

Warriors: SF Andrew Wiggins, PF Otto Porter Jr, C Kevon Looney, SG Gary Payton II, PG Stephen Curry

Heat

Points: Jimmy Butler 23.2

Assists: Kyle Lowry 8.2

Rebounds: Bam Adebayo 10.2

Steals: Jimmy Butler 2.0

Blocks: Caleb Martin 0.6

Warriors

Points: Stephen Curry 27.7

Assists: Draymond Green 7.5

Rebounds: Draymond Green 7.9

Steals: Stephen Curry 1.5

Blocks: Draymond Green 1.2

Heat: Erik Spoelstra.  Coach Spoelstra will be in the NBA Hall of Fame one day.  As a coach he has longevity and winning down.  He is no Steve Kerr, but who is?

Warriors: Steve Kerr.  Coach Kerr has so many rings as an NBA player and coach that he will someday need an extra hand.