After a slow start to their season, the Miami Heat have won three of their last five games. They are looking to add another win tonight against the lowly Sacramento Kings. The Heat will look to bounce back from a 120-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors in their last game. It was a poor shooting night for Miami, only connecting on 41% of their field goals and 30% of their threes. The Heat looked tired playing in the second half of a back-to-back.
The Kings have lost their last two games after picking up their first win of the season against Dallas. They lost to the Spurs Friday night 124-109. The Kings have struggled to keep games competitive. Seven of their eight losses have come by double digits.
This game comes with the highest total of the night because it is a matchup of two of the worst defenses in the NBA. Miami ranks 28th in the NBA with 122.6 points allowed per game, while Sacramento ranks 29th, allowing 123.3 points per game. A lot of points should be put on the board tonight in Sacramento. The Heat average 116 points per game, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 27.3 points per game. His supporting cast includes 18.6 points per game from Bam Adebayo, and playmaking from Davion Mitchell, who puts 16.1 points and 8.2 assists per game. The Heat play at one of the fastest paces in the NBA, and that should create opportunities for the Heat to generate easy baskets.
The Kings only average 109.2 points per game, but I expect them to keep pace with Miami considering they are playing at home against a poor defense. The Heat allow an NBA worst 17 threes per game. If Sacramento can knock down open threes, they should be able to keep this game close. Defensively, the Kings have allowed their opponents to score 123 or more points in eight of their last nine games. The Heat will look to bounce back from a poor offensive showing. With their fast-pace, I expect them to score closer to 130 points against a poor Kings’ defense.
Heat vs Kings prediction: Over 237.5(-110) is available at the time of publishing. Playable at 239(+105).
