NBA Game of the Night - Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat

Thursday, November 12th – 8:00 PM ET

Basketball Betting Spread: Cavaliers -1.5

The Week That Was: Cavaliers

Coach Mike Brown’s team split a pair of games played back to back on Thursday, Nov. 5 and Friday, Nov. 6. In the front end of the two-game stretch, the Cavs lost at home to the Chicago Bulls, 86-85.

Cleveland missed eight free throws in 20 attempts, a sure way to lose a nail-biter. LeBron James scored 25 points, but his supporting cast and bench were nowhere to be found. The next day, the Cavs regrouped by beating a bad New York Knicks roster 100-91. LeBron did ring up 33 points, but he also committed 7 turnovers on a night when Cleveland gave up the ball 21 times. This is a team still very much in search of itself, and a nine-point win over the Knicks won’t change that fact.

What might change that was their win last night. In what was by far their biggest victory of this young season, Cleveland took out the Orlando Magic last night, in Orlando.

The Week That Was: Heat

The men from Miami have become the biggest surprise of a very young season. Miami moved to 6-1 after tossing aside Denver on Nov. 6 and then whipping Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 10. In the 96-88 win over Denver, the Heat used balanced offense to carry the day. Five Heat players scored in double figures, as Dwayne Wade didn’t need to don a cape and become a superhero.

In the Heat’s 90-76 win over Washington, defense did the deed for coach Erik Spoelstra’s club. The Heat trailed 49-41 at halftime, but limited the Wizards to only 27 points in the second half. Even more remarkably, the Heat harassed Washington star Gilbert Arenas into a whopping total of 12 turnovers, as many as Miami coughed up during the entire game. Wade elevated his game in this instance, raining down 41 points to keep the positive vibes flowing through an increasingly confident locker room.

Outlook & Pick

Cleveland will enter this game having played at Orlando the night before, while Miami will step on the home hardwood of American Airlines Arena with a day of rest in its pocket. Cleveland slapped around Miami last season, but in mid-November of a new season, the Cavs can’t be trusted… especially not on the second leg of a back-to-back stretch on the road and the hangover of a big, emotional win.

Miami will be waiting for Cleveland, and that simple fact should make the difference in this one. On equal terms, Cleveland would deserve to be favored, but not in that special NBA realm when traveling – and we’re not talking about taking three steps without dribbling – becomes a factor. The calendar and the grind of a season will catch up with the Cavs on Thursday.

Pick: Heat +1.5