Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Clippers: The East leader to win a low-scoring match

The Eastern Conference leader Miami Heat will take on the Los Angeles Clippers, a top team from the West. Who will be stronger? There are several options to bet on.

Miami is aiming for a big finish

What do the Heat have to win the playoffs in the East in the end? A number of experienced leaders – Butler, Tucker, Lowry, and Oladipo who is recovering from injury; youngsters with finals experience two years ago like Robinson, Adebayo and Herro. And the championship experience of coach Spoelstra and general manager Pat Riley. In short, Miami is one of the top favorites in the East. The current top spot in the conference is confirmation enough.

The last game saw the Heat outplay the New York Knicks 110-96 at home. The team won 8 matches out of the last 10.

The Clippers are coming off coaching decisions

The LAC have a lot of problems this season. First of all, we should talk about injuries, including injuries to top players like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Nevertheless, the Clippers are not out of contention for not just a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but for a chance to make at least the first round there. It's all about the coaching staff, and specifically Tyronn Lue and Larry Drew. The coaching duo has been at their best in this league, making quality decisions time after time in terms of building defense. Hence the result – the Clippers are 8th in the conference with just 1 win behind the top 6.

In the last game, Tyronn Lue's team did well on the road against Orlando, 111-102.

Injuries and suspensions

• Miami: Kyle Lowry, Markieff Morris, KZ Okpala and Victor Oladipo will not play;
• Clippers: Paul George, Kawhi Leonard will not play. Marcus Morris is questionable.

Head-to-head encounters

The Clippers have six straight wins against Miami, including their first head-to-head this season.

Expert Betting Tips

Kyle Lowry's absence diminishes Miami's offensive potential in the upcoming game. The experienced point guard has fit perfectly into Erik Spoelstra's system and has become almost indispensable. So the Heat might outplay Tyronn Lue's Clippers, but hardly in a high-scoring game.

Prediction: Miami will win a low-scoring match.

Betting options

• Total Under (212.5) for 1.73;
• W1+TU (210.5) for 2.45;
• W1+ITU1 (108.5) for 3.30.