Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat March 8 Betting Preview

Two Eastern Conference rivals who are both ready to challenge for the conference title will clash on Wednesday night, as the Miami Heat will host the Cleveland Cavaliers. In their two prior meetings, the teams have split the pair of games. With just over 15 games left in the regular season, this game is huge for both teams heading into the playoffs.

We will now preview each of the two teams, and then we will give you our best betting predictions.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers come into this one sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. At 41-26 overall, the Cavaliers have exceeded expectations this season. The acquisition of Donovan Mitchell has put this team in a position to contend not only for the Eastern Conference title, but also for the NBA championship.

The Cavaliers are coming off of two straight victories. They cruised to victory over the Detroit Pistons, and then beat the Boston Celtics 118-114 in overtime. Donovan Mitchell, who injured his finger this past weekend, came back strong on Monday, scoring 40 points against the Celtics.

With a lineup of Mitchell, Darius Garland, Caris Levert, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, this is a squad built to contend now. This looks like it could be an offensive powerhouse, but to the contrary, this team is actually known for its defense. The Cavs lead the league in least points allowed per game, as they’re only giving up just over 106 per contest.

Miami Heat

Miami has been sort of a mystery this season. The Heat, who were an Eastern Conference finals team last season, haven't been as good this season as they were last season, even though the roster is basically the same. The Heat, who last season was one of the best three-point shooting teams, has struggled from beyond the arc this season.

While Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have both been very good this season, their supporting cast hasn’t played as well as they did last season. The Heat did bring on Kevin Love after Cleveland bought his contract out, to help with their shooting woes.

Miami still defends well, and gets a lot of offense from the free-throw line. Currently sitting in 7th in the East, the Heat would love to move up in the standings to avoid possibly being in the play-in scenarios.

Betting Predictions

The oddsmakers have spoken, and the Cavaliers have been made a two-point favorite in this clash. The Heat are 21-12 at home this season, while Cleveland is 13-19 on the road. The Cavs have won 38 of the 53 games that they have been favored in this season, which is just over 71 percent. We like Miami to win. The Heat need every victory, and the Cavs could still be worn out from their tough victory on Monday. 

Both of these teams are very good on the defensive end of the floor, as they are the top two teams in points allowed. With an over/under of 212.5 points, we like the under. Both teams give up an average of 215 combined points. We think this one will be a very good defensive battle.