Cleveland got back to their winning ways on Sunday, beating the Los Angeles Lakers in a 120-105 blowout. Miami snapped a three-game losing streak with a 109-95 win over the New York Knicks on Monday.
The Heat won the first matchup between the two sides 101-91 on Christmas Day.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (31-21)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.9 ppg, 5.3 apg
G J.R. Smith – 13.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg
F LeBron James – 26.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 7.4 apg
F Kevin Love – 17.1 ppg, 10.5 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 10.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg
Miami Heat (22-29)
G Mario Chalmers –10.7 ppg, 4.3 apg
G Shabazz Napier – 5.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg
F Luol Deng – 14.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg
F Chris Bosh – 21.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg
C Hassan Whiteside – 9.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg
What to watch for:
Chris Bosh vs. Kevin Love
Bosh has to carry Miami's offense in Dwyane Wade's absence, and he has the opportunity to have a big game against Kevin Love's shaky defense. Bosh missed the first matchup against the Cavs, so he'll likely play with an extra energy and desire to show he's still a top-notch player in front of LeBron.
Who plays with more intensity?
This won't feel like a playoff game, but the intensity will be ramped up because of the developing rivalry between the two franchises. Cleveland will come out on fire wanting revenge on the Heat in front of their home crowd, and Miami's going to have to match that if they want to stay competitive.
Prediction: Cavs win 103-91
I expect the Cavs play with a lot of emotion at the start of this game and build an early lead, but Miami will hang around and make a game of it in the fourth quarter before Cleveland pulls away.
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