The MIAMI and the WASHINGTON will both be gunning for a victory on 10/18/2018 at 8:05 PM when they meet in a game matchup.
MIAMI HEAT vs WASHINGTON WIZARDS
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, October 18, 2018
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, District of Columbia
| ROT | TEAM | PS | OU | ML |
| 503 | MIAMI | -5 (-110) | 213 (-110) | 175 -210 |
| 504 | WASHINGTON |
TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: -5
PREDICTION: WASHINGTON , MIAMI
Oddsmakers currently have the WASHINGTON listed as -5 point favorites versus the MIAMI, while the game’s total is sitting at 213.
Five-time All-Star point guard John Wall is glad the new season has arrived as he leads the Washington Wizards into battle against the visiting Miami Heat on Thursday. Wall played in only 41 games while twice being sidelined with knee injuries in 2017-18, which was a highly frustrating campaign for both himself and the Wizards.
Wall’s scoring average dropped nearly four points to 19.6 and he failed to average 10 assists for the first time since 2013-14, but he made it clear earlier this week that he doesn’t care about the statistics. “I’m the type of guy that wants to have a statue out front,” Wall told reporters. “I want to bring a championship here. Those are all the things that I care about. If you’re not winning as a group and doing things as a team, then you don’t get individual success.” Miami was given a back-to-back set on the road to open the campaign, and the first half didn’t go well as it dropped a 104-101 decision to Orlando on Wednesday. “You have to deal with extreme circumstances,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “I think we have the kind of group that likes those kind of challenges. Regardless, home or away, at the beginning of the season where everybody is so amped up, you couldn’t care less where we play.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Miami), NBCS Washington
ABOUT THE HEAT (0-1): It will be interesting to see how many minutes veteran guard Dwyane Wade receives against the Wizards after playing 26 minutes off the bench in the season opener. Wade scored just nine points on 3-of-13 shooting against Orlando but was active on the boards with 11 rebounds – second behind center Hassan Whiteside’s 18. “I’m not going to play him playoff minutes or anything near that right now,” Spoelstra said. “We can build as the season goes. He knows how to approach an 82-game season even better than I do. But I plan to work with him on that to make sure that we’re hitting in our strides when we need to.”
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (2017-18: 43-39): The availability of offseason acquisition Dwight Howard (back) will be determined in the hours leading up to Thursday’s game as the big man currently is listed as questionable. “We’ll see how he feels (Thursday) and make the decision then,” coach Scott Brooks told reporters. “He missed a lot of time. He’s had three good practices. He’s just day-to-day. We’re in no rush.” Howard is one of three additions expected to provide a boost, with the others being forward Jeff Green and guard Austin Rivers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split four meetings last season while Miami has prevailed in seven of the last nine matchups.
2. Miami SG Wayne Ellington (ankle) and SF Justise Winslow (hamstring) both are expected to miss their second straight game.
3. Washington hired current WNBA All-Star player Kristi Toliver as an assistant coach earlier this week.
PREDICTION: Wizards 112, Heat 103
| Tony’s Pick | TEAM |
| WASHINGTON | -210 |
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