Game Time: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, March 25th, 2022 

Venue:  FTX Arena, Miami, Florida

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  

Fanduel:  Spread:  NL

BetMGM:  Spread: NL

Knicks: 31-42, 11th place Eastern Conference

Heat: 47-26, 1st place Eastern Conference

An Eastern Conference NBA matchup that historically has been a battle if not a war… now it is a skirmish if not a whimper.  The New York Knicks are everybody’s favorite disappointment in the NBA this season.  After a Playoff run last season… several Eatsern Conference team got better and the Knicks did not.  The Knicks still have an awful owner… and that has created the worst fans in the league.  Young Knicks players have to get comforted by Knicks vets after the rain of boos that hit THEM every night. Star PF Julius Randle is still the best player on the Knicks.. He still has the cutest son in town… and he desperately wants out.  Julius would really rather play in Oklahoma City then to have the next front row millionaire tell him he is trash while he leads the team in points, assists, and rebounds.  It is an absurdity that can’t be fixed now… maybe the draft brings the guy?… but the owner will ruin the formula before that can happen. The Heat are different.  The Heat have the best management in the NBA and maybe the best coach…. The Players feel welcomed and ready to run through walls for the fans that love them. The Heat have the best record in the East despite… maybe… possibly not having the best roster in the East. The tandem of Jimmy Butler at the small forward and Bam Adebayo at Center have just enough excellence to make things easy for the cadre of shooters and vets that make up the rest of the roster.  The Miami idea is that “if it does not work this season.. How can we support pir player going into next season?”  The result is a continuous saga of awesome if not always Champs.

The New York Knicks have won 6 of their last ten games.  A real show of late season strength if not late season impotence.  They went 7-3 ARs during that stretch, meaning they are a good betting opportunity.  Part of the good betting opportunity is that they covered several stimulating spreads… 9 to Memphis, 8.5 to Dallas (which they won), 8.5 to Charlotte (which they won).  It may even look like a late season revival.  Don’t be fooled.  This is a fugazzi result based entirely on the late season rush of young players trying to secure future deals.  They are susceptible to losing anytime they get a better team that also tries.  The entire team is built around PF Julius Randle and Center Mitchell Robinson.  Every other player has been stricken by an inconsistency that defines the entire squad. SG/SF RJ Barrett is capable of big games followed by games in which he is completely invisible. PG Kemba Walker has been kicked to the curb.  Backup PF Obi Toppin enjoys being the fan favorite… but doesn’t ever play like he deserves it.  PG Immanuel Quickly is a young player who occasionally plays like a blast from the past.. He was a fan favorite two seasons ago.  The result is damage to every Knick game.  If Julius and Mitchell can’t do enough.. The team can’t win enough.  Oh also they have the worst owner in the East.

The Miami Heat have won 7 of their last ten games.  They went 4-6 ATS during that stretch In their last game they shocked the world by losing to the struggling Golden State Warriors 118-104.  It demonstrated that the Heat may not be ready to take on all challenges.  The Heat are great don’t get me wrong but they are missing either a key piece or are stuck just short of being one of the best squads in the NBA.  SF Jimmy Butler is a great leading scorer and just leader period.  C Bam Adebayo is willing to do all the dirty work to compensate for being slightly undersized at the position.  Shooters SF Duncan Robinson and SG Tyler Herro can turn a game by hitting threes from anywhere.  Head coach Erick Spoelstra has had better players by far before… but he hasn’t had a better team.  GM Pat Riley is currently being disrespected on HBO, as if 4 decades of success came by accident… which is what happens when Hollywood condenses a story.  The key to Miami winning and winning big is how PG Kyle Lowry moves the ball.  If Kyle gets stuck shooting all night the Heat will not win… but if he moves the ball and becomes a shooter 3 passes later the Heat tend to have great nights.

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New York is 31-42 on the season, but 34-39 ATS.  They have logged 37 Overs and 36 Unders.  They are 16-21 in road games.

Miami is 47-26 on the season, but 40-32-1 ATS.  They have notched 43 Overs and 30 Unders.  They are 26-10 in home games.

The Knicks are 27th in scoring with 106.3 ppg, 4th in rebounds with 46.3 per game, and 25th in AST/TO ratio with 1.6.  They excel at defense, however with a ranking of 8th while allowing 106.9 ppg from opponents. Of course Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson are both listed as questionable… If they both miss the game… The Knicks will have no reliable defensive numbers at all.

Our prediction for Friday, March 25th is…. Heat 123 - Knicks 97

The Heat will roll and roll.  The Knicks are missing two very key pieces and the rest of the roster is trash.  We can not state this enough.  The Knicks will be starting a G-League hybrid team against the top team in the Eastern Conference.  That #1 team in the Eastern Conference is conscious of needing the #1 spot for home court advantage throughout the Playoffs.

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New York is 35-24 ATS against Miami since 1996.
Miami is 2-1 ATS versus New York at Miami the last three seasons.
Miami is 15-3 ATS after an upset loss by 10 points or more the last 3 seasons.

Knicks: C Mitchell Robinson (back) Questt ** PF Julius Randle (quad) Quest ** C Nerlens Noel (foot) Out ** SF Cam Reddish (shoulder) Out

Heat: SG Victor Oladipo (rest) Out ** PG Gabe Vincent (toe) Out ** 

Heat: PG Kyle Lowry, SG Duncan Robinson, SF Jimmy Butler, PF PJ Tucker, C Bam Adebayo

Knicks: PF Obi Toppin, C Jericho Sims, SF Evan Fournier, SG RJ Barrett, PG Alec Burks 

Knicks: Tom Thibodeau

Heat: Erik Spoelstra