LA Clippers vs Miami Heat Prediction: The Clippers will face resistance

 The NBA carnival is inching closer toward the midseason window and that will be a big window as it fetches us a bunch of trades. Injuries, fatigue, and trades all determine how the rest of the season will shape up. In this Regular Season battle, the LA Clippers will square against the Miami Heat in a cross-Conference affair. 

The Clippers come into the fray after a heartbreaking 130:131 game against the Indiana Pacers despite a 45 points performance by Paul George. This was the second straight loss for the Clippers which finished their Eastern Conference trip with three losses and two wins. Due to that, now the Clippers have 17 losses but a respectable 21 wins. They will need Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to be active continuously for a better record.

Kawhi has doubled his offensive production, getting back in game shape. George is having another fantastic season. Marcus Morris is having another strong season as the third option. Ivica Zubac is having a solid rebounding season whereas Reggie Jackson is being more careful with his shot selection. Norman Powell hasn’t given the expected production but is still a strong factor during some of the games.

The Heat comes into the game after a solid 126:123 away from home win against the Utah Jazz as Bam Adebayo stacked up 32 points. This was their third win in four games. Last year’s Conference Finalists Heat has not been an effective squad on the offensive end and their defense has also taken a hit during recent times. The team will need to regroup and figure out a way to have better balance on both ends.

Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Hero have all been the leading scorers interchangeably. But outside of these three, the offense has been way too inconsistent with Kyle Lowry declining as a scorer rapidly. It will be huge for the Heat to recover their mojo because the time for the current crop is dwindling at a fast pace. For things to change, the supporting cast will need to do much better.

• Clippers: QUESTIONABLE: Nicolas Batum;
• Heat: OUT: Dewayne Dedmon, Omer Yurtseven. QUESTIONABLE: Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin. PROBABLE: Jimmy Butler.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Paul George(26-32 Points), Jimmy Butler(24-29 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Ivica Zubac(11-13 Rebounds), Bam Adebayo(10-12 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Kawhi Leonard(6-8 Assists), Tyler Herro(5-8 Assists).

Leonard and George make sure that the Clippers are dialed on the defensive end and on their home floor, they will be even more tuned in. While the Heat has performed much better away from home in recent times, a match-up against the Clippers sounds like a headache. A lot will be needed out of Lowry here to get a better scoring balance. I’d back the Clippers to nab a win here with a scoreline of 115:110.