Wizards vs Heat Picks and Predictions: No Lowry and Bam, No Problem for Miami

The Miami Heat go for their fourth win in a row when they host the Washington Wizards, who have won two of their last three themselves. 

This Tuesday night matchup is one that will be impacted by the COVID-19 health and safety protocols, so be sure to check out our Wizards vs. Heat picks and predictions to make sure you have all the information you’ll need before betting on this game. 

Wizards vs Heat odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The Heat were 6-point favorites when this game hit betting markets, but they’re now creeping towards 6.5 and even 7 on some sites. The total, which opened at a low number of 208.5 and is only as high as 209, has mostly stayed put, despite bettors being somewhat heavy on the Over. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Wizards vs Heat predictions

• Prediction: Heat -6 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 209 (-110)
• Best bet: Heat -6 (-110)

Predictions made on 12/28/2021 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Wizards vs Heat game info

• Location: FTX Arena, Miami, FL
• Date: Tuesday, December 28, 2021
• Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBA TV

Wizards vs Heat betting preview

Injuries

Wizards: Bradley Beal G (Out), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope G (Out), Raul Neto G (Out), Anthony Gill F (Out), Aaron Holiday G (Out), Rui Hachimura F (Questionable), Thomas Bryant C (Out), Montrezl Harrell C (Out).
Heat: Kyle Lowry G (Out), P.J. Tucker F (Questionable), Dwayne Dedmon C (Out), Bam Adebayo C (Out), Markieff Morris F (Out), Victor Oladipo G (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Wizards are 3-10-1 ATS in their last 14 road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Wizards vs. Heat.

Wizards vs Heat picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

The Wizards would need Beal to test negative in order for the All-Star to be active in tonight’s game, but the team is also missing a couple of other key players in this meeting with the Heat. Even with Miami being without both Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo, the team still has more than enough talent to easily handle this Washington team at home. 

Jimmy Butler is going to be out there for the Heat in this one and the 32-year-old is having an incredible season for his team. Look for Butler to neutralize whoever he ends up guarding, whether that’s Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie or Kyle Kuzma. That’s a huge part of the reason you’ll want to back Miami in this game, as it’s just going to be hard for the Wizards to get themselves going against Butler and a Heat defense that is seventh in the league in defensive rating — despite having guys in and out of the lineup all year. 

Another reason to be confident in Miami in this game is that Tyler Herro is playing some of the best basketball of his life this year. Herro struggled against the Orlando Magic last game and was ejected after just 19 minutes of action. However, he did have eight assists in just 19 minutes, showing that he’s capable of initiating this offense with Lowry out. Herro also scored a total of 55 points in the two previous games he played, and he is always a threat to get himself cooking with his jumper. 

Also, with the Wizards having beaten the Heat by three in Washington on November 20, Miami is going to be out for revenge here. Losses do not sit well with Erik Spoelstra’s group. 

Prediction: Heat -6 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

The Under is 6-4 in Miami’s last 10 games and it’s also 4-1 in the team’s last five games following an ATS loss. It’s hard to envision this one bucking that second trend, as the Wizards don’t exactly match up very well with the Heat at the moment. Even with Miami missing arguably its best point-of-attack defender on the perimeter, the team should still be able to prevent Washington from finding any flow. 

With Lowry out, the Heat are also losing a guy that likes to get the ball up and down the court in a hurry — and he often whips full-court passes to streaking teammates. That will factor in here, as this is already a matchup between two teams that are in the Bottom 10 of the NBA in pace. Back the Under.

Prediction: Under 209 (-110)

Best bet

With Harrell out for this game because of COVID-19 protocols, the Wizards are losing a tenacious player that might have been able to help them dominate the paint with Adebayo out of the lineup for the Heat. That’s going to be a big loss for Washington, which was already in bad shape coming into this one. 

This season, the Wizards are 0-7 ATS when coming off back-to-back games that went Over the total, with Washington losing those contests by an average of 12.6 points per game. Meanwhile, since Spoelstra became the coach of the Heat, his team is 51-34 ATS when revenging a loss by three or fewer points. Miami is the play.

Pick: Heat -6 (-110)

Pages related to this topic