On Sunday, 03\/02, the Miami Heat (28-30) will host the New York Knicks (39-20) in an Eastern Conference Regular-Season match-up. The Heat are seventh in the East, whereas the Knicks have stood firm at the third spot in the Conference. Will the Knickerbockers continue their stellar form against sub-500 teams? Read about the preview, total predictions, and player props here.<\/p>
Heat: Fighting tooth and nail<\/strong><\/p> The Heat enters the affair after an unlikely 5-point win against the Indiana Pacers as their ace Tyler Herro served a 29-point masterpiece. They have won two in a row to erase the hurt of a lean 1-6 period. They have done well offensively, considering they lack shot-creators, especially since the fallout with Jimmy Butler. However, overall, their offense has shown fractures as they tallied just 108.1 points per game(tied for the fifth worst) last month. Their defense has kept them afloat, as they conceded only 111.1 PPG(8th) in February. As of now, they are set to enter the play-in tournament, but their ceiling seems to be a first-round playoff exit.<\/p> Expected Starting Lineup<\/strong><\/p> PG: <\/strong>Tyler Herro | PG\/SG: <\/strong>Davion Mitchell | SF<\/strong>: Andrew Wiggins | C<\/strong>: Bam Adebayo | C: <\/strong>Kel’el Ware<\/p> Injuries:<\/strong> Dru Smith and Nikola Jovic are OUT.<\/p> Knicks: Looking solid but need to iron out some issues<\/strong><\/p> The Knicks enter the affair after a brilliant 1-point win against the Memphis Grizzlies as a clutch Jalen Brunson led with 23 points. They have won two in a row and finished February with a 7-4 record. Their defense took a huge hit in February because of exhaustion and an injury to their defensive stopper, OG Anunoby. They gave up 122.2 PPG(4th worst) during the month, a much worse effort than their season tally of 112.9 PPG(14th). Will the team get their defensive act together in March?<\/p> Expected Starting Lineup<\/strong><\/p> PG<\/strong>: Jalen Brunson | SG\/SF: <\/strong>Mikal Bridges | SG\/SF<\/strong>: Josh Hart | SF:<\/strong> OG Anunoby | C: <\/strong>Karl-Anthony Towns<\/p> Injuries<\/strong>: Ariel Hukporti is OUT.<\/p> The Knicks’ defense has shown some major improvements lately. Earlier, they were conceding 120+ points regularly, but they have brought it down to the 111-118 points range. Meanwhile, the Heat has usually given up a similar amount of points. Offensively, both teams are likely to cross the 110+ points mark here. Thus, the overall points range can be 234-244.<\/p> Projected Predictions:<\/strong><\/p>Miami Heat vs New York Knicks Total Over\/Under Prediction<\/strong><\/h2>