NBA MIAMI Matchup 20141225

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NBA : First Half Matchup

Thursday 12/25/2014

Line

$ Line

OU Line

Score

CLEVELAND
First Half Results
MIAMI

-3

49
Final
62

CLEVELAND (17 - 10) at MIAMI (13 - 16)

Thursday, 12/25/2014 5:00 PM

Board		First Half
505	CLEVELAND	-3
506	MIAMI	98.5

	Current First Half FoxSheets
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	Money Line FoxSheet
	Teaser Line FoxSheet

ADVANCED TEAM STATS

CLEVELAND - Current Season Performance
	Straight Up		Against Spread		Team				Opponent
	W-L	Units	W-L	O-U	Score	Half	FG Pct	Reb.	Score	Half	FG Pct	Reb.
All Games	17-10	-14.2	11-16	11-15	103.6	53.6	46.7%	50.0	99.6	51.2	46.9%	47.5
Road Games	6-5	+0.6	4-7	4-6	101.7	52.0	43.7%	51.9	101.1	52.9	47.4%	50.1
Last 5 Games	4-1	0	2-3	2-3	104.0	56.8	48.8%	48.4	100.2	51.2	49.1%	44.4

CLEVELAND Team Statistics
			Shooting		3pt Shooting		Free Throws		Rebounding
	PPG	Half	FGM-A	Pct	FGM-A	PCT	FTM-A	Pct	Tot	Off	Ast	PF	Stl	TO	Bk
Team Stats (All Games)	103.6	53.6	38-81	46.7%	8-22	36.5%	20-26	76.9%	50	11	23	18	7	13	4
vs opponents surrendering	99.9	49.7	37-83	45.1%	8-22	35.3%	18-23	75.1%	51	11	21	21	7	14	5
Team Stats (Road Games)	101.7	52.0	37-84	43.7%	7-22	32.8%	21-27	77.8%	52	12	20	19	7	12	4
Stats Against (All Games)	99.6	51.2	39-83	46.9%	7-22	34.3%	15-19	77.2%	47	10	25	21	7	13	5
vs opponents averaging	100.4	49.7	38-83	45.4%	7-21	35.3%	17-23	75.9%	51	11	22	21	7	13	5
Stats Against (Road Games)	101.1	52.9	40-84	47.4%	8-24	34.0%	14-18	74.9%	50	11	24	22	6	13	6

MIAMI - Current Season Performance
	Straight Up		Against Spread		Team				Opponent
	W-L	Units	W-L	O-U	Score	Half	FG Pct	Reb.	Score	Half	FG Pct	Reb.
All Games	13-16	-6.2	14-15	12-17	94.2	50.0	45.9%	44.2	97.8	49.2	47.2%	49.0
Home Games	5-10	-13.2	6-9	8-7	93.6	50.1	45.3%	45.2	98.4	48.9	47.6%	47.6
Last 5 Games	2-3	-2.6	3-2	2-3	94.4	52.0	45.3%	47.2	95.2	47.6	44.5%	49.0

MIAMI Team Statistics
			Shooting		3pt Shooting		Free Throws		Rebounding
	PPG	Half	FGM-A	Pct	FGM-A	PCT	FTM-A	Pct	Tot	Off	Ast	PF	Stl	TO	Bk
Team Stats (All Games)	94.2	50.0	34-74	45.9%	8-22	35.8%	18-25	73.3%	44	8	20	20	9	13	3
vs opponents surrendering	100.2	50	37-83	45.2%	8-22	35.4%	18-24	75.1%	51	11	22	21	8	14	5
Team Stats (Home Games)	93.6	50.1	33-74	45.3%	8-22	36.0%	19-25	74.9%	45	8	18	20	9	14	4
Stats Against (All Games)	97.8	49.2	36-76	47.2%	8-23	36.6%	17-23	74.1%	49	10	21	21	8	15	4
vs opponents averaging	99.9	49.5	38-83	45.4%	8-22	35.2%	17-23	75.0%	51	11	22	21	8	14	5
Stats Against (Home Games)	98.4	48.9	36-76	47.6%	8-22	37.5%	17-24	74.2%	48	9	19	21	7	14	4

Average power rating of opponents played: CLEVELAND 95.6, MIAMI 94.5

SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

CLEVELAND - Season Results
								Team Stats				Opp Stats
Date	Opponent	Score	SU	Line	ATS	Tot.	O/U	Shots	Pct	REB	TO	Shots	Pct	REB	TO
11/15/2014	ATLANTA	127-94	W	-7	W	209	O	49-90	54.4%	50	13	40-90	44.4%	46	18
11/17/2014	DENVER	97-106	L	-12	L	219	U	34-79	43.0%	49	15	41-85	48.2%	47	15
11/19/2014	SAN ANTONIO	90-92	L	-1.5	L	201	U	37-83	44.6%	46	16	35-74	47.3%	51	15
11/21/2014	@ WASHINGTON	78-91	L	-1.5	L	204.5	U	27-75	36.0%	48	19	41-84	48.8%	52	17
11/22/2014	TORONTO	93-110	L	-3	L	205	U	35-81	43.2%	64	18	32-80	40.0%	43	8
11/24/2014	ORLANDO	106-74	W	-11	W	200	U	42-81	51.9%	51	12	29-80	36.2%	49	17
11/26/2014	WASHINGTON	113-87	W	-7.5	W	201	U	38-74	51.4%	47	9	33-71	46.5%	40	18
11/29/2014	INDIANA	109-97	W	-10	W	195	O	41-78	52.6%	53	9	35-89	39.3%	56	7
12/2/2014	MILWAUKEE	111-108	W	-11	L	201.5	O	39-73	53.4%	47	19	45-92	48.9%	47	13
12/4/2014	@ NEW YORK	90-87	W	-7.5	L	198	U	32-70	45.7%	40	17	37-88	42.0%	55	21
12/5/2014	@ TORONTO	105-91	W	4.5	W	209	U	41-84	48.8%	57	13	35-86	40.7%	51	11
12/8/2014	@ BROOKLYN	110-88	W	-8	W	196.5	O	43-90	47.8%	62	13	36-81	44.4%	44	12
12/9/2014	TORONTO	105-101	W	-6	L	205.5	O	39-79	49.4%	40	11	42-82	51.2%	43	15
12/11/2014	@ OKLAHOMA CITY	94-103	L	7	L	202	U	31-85	36.5%	60	14	38-87	43.7%	52	11
12/12/2014	@ NEW ORLEANS	114-119	L	1.5	L	200.5	O	44-89	49.4%	47	6	44-79	55.7%	44	7
12/15/2014	CHARLOTTE	97-88	W	-10.5	L	196.5	U	38-83	45.8%	57	10	38-83	45.8%	45	10
12/17/2014	ATLANTA	98-127	L	-7	L	201.5	O	37-82	45.1%	39	8	49-76	64.5%	41	9
12/19/2014	BROOKLYN	95-91	W	-10	L	197.5	U	31-77	40.3%	55	16	37-78	47.4%	41	16
12/21/2014	MEMPHIS	105-91	W	-5	W	196.5	U	46-76	60.5%	40	14	39-86	45.3%	44	9
12/23/2014	MINNESOTA	125-104	W	-14	W	210.5	O	44-84	52.4%	51	17	39-88	44.3%	51	18
12/25/2014	@ MIAMI
12/26/2014	@ ORLANDO
12/28/2014	DETROIT
12/30/2014	@ ATLANTA
12/31/2014	MILWAUKEE
1/2/2015	@ CHARLOTTE
1/4/2015	DALLAS
1/5/2015	@ PHILADELPHIA
1/7/2015	HOUSTON
1/9/2015	@ GOLDEN STATE

MIAMI - Season Results
								Team Stats				Opp Stats
Date	Opponent	Score	SU	Line	ATS	Tot.	O/U	Shots	Pct	REB	TO	Shots	Pct	REB	TO
11/16/2014	MILWAUKEE	84-91	L	-5	L	189.5	U	30-73	41.1%	52	17	35-74	47.3%	49	16
11/17/2014	@ BROOKLYN	95-83	W	8	W	195.5	U	31-72	43.1%	52	14	29-70	41.4%	43	12
11/20/2014	LA CLIPPERS	93-110	L	4	L	197	O	30-67	44.8%	35	12	43-77	55.8%	46	13
11/22/2014	@ ORLANDO	99-92	W	-1.5	W	191.5	U	37-71	52.1%	40	16	35-78	44.9%	50	14
11/23/2014	CHARLOTTE	94-93	W	0	W	185.5	O	33-66	50.0%	41	16	37-79	46.8%	40	11
11/25/2014	GOLDEN STATE	97-114	L	7.5	L	202	O	33-85	38.8%	48	9	43-75	57.3%	50	11
11/30/2014	@ NEW YORK	86-79	W	-3	W	189.5	U	30-72	41.7%	56	14	31-88	35.2%	61	12
12/1/2014	@ WASHINGTON	86-107	L	4.5	L	190.5	O	33-72	45.8%	38	11	39-72	54.2%	51	12
12/3/2014	ATLANTA	102-112	L	-5	L	200	O	36-64	56.2%	36	18	40-74	54.1%	37	16
12/5/2014	@ MILWAUKEE	85-109	L	-1	L	195	U	30-68	44.1%	29	18	39-69	56.5%	52	24
12/7/2014	@ MEMPHIS	87-103	L	8	L	192	U	39-80	48.7%	35	11	43-73	58.9%	42	12
12/9/2014	@ PHOENIX	103-97	W	4	W	202.5	U	43-80	53.7%	37	11	37-77	48.1%	47	22
12/10/2014	@ DENVER	82-102	L	6	L	203	U	30-82	36.6%	51	10	38-85	44.7%	63	10
12/12/2014	@ UTAH	100-95	W	1.5	W	191	O	36-72	50.0%	43	9	34-77	44.2%	49	11
12/14/2014	CHICAGO	75-93	L	7	L	193.5	U	28-80	35.0%	45	13	33-71	46.5%	51	19
12/16/2014	@ BROOKLYN	95-91	W	6	W	186.5	U	33-72	45.8%	50	18	30-77	39.0%	51	17
12/17/2014	UTAH	87-105	L	-3.5	L	190.5	O	27-70	38.6%	42	11	35-66	53.0%	46	18
12/19/2014	WASHINGTON	103-105	L	6	W	188.5	O	40-75	53.3%	42	15	39-79	49.4%	47	9
12/21/2014	BOSTON	100-84	W	3	W	198	U	37-78	47.4%	49	8	33-83	39.8%	51	15
12/23/2014	PHILADELPHIA	87-91	L	-7.5	L	191.5	U	33-80	41.2%	53	20	33-77	42.9%	50	16
12/25/2014	CLEVELAND
12/27/2014	MEMPHIS
12/29/2014	ORLANDO
12/31/2014	@ INDIANA
1/3/2015	@ HOUSTON
1/4/2015	BROOKLYN
1/8/2015	@ PORTLAND

KEY GAME INFORMATION

CLEVELAND: GUARDS: KYRIE IRVING will play off the ball more. With defenses keying on LeBron James, Irving should become a more efficient scorer . . . DION WAITERS will start for the Cavaliers at shooting guard. He shows flashes of brilliance on offense, but like Irving, doesn't play defense . . . MIKE MILLER reunites with James as a part-time floor spacer . . . JOE HARRIS' deep shooting makes him a possible long-term replacement for Miller. FORWARDS: LeBRON JAMES is the MVP favorite. He'll fill up the stat sheet while having these Cavaliers in a position to win every single night . . . KEVIN LOVE is one of the game's premier power forwards. He should have plenty of open looks this season, as he plays off of James. He'll also rack up rebounds . . . TRISTAN THOMPSON's switch from shooting left-handed to righty last season went well. He's a solid two-way player who should see time at center as well . . . SHAWN MARION will be a swiss-army knife off the bench for the Cavs. He can do a little bit of everything and will allow James to get a little rest this season. . . JAMES JONES followed James to Cleveland. He'll see minutes in a handful of games as a three-point specialist. CENTERS: ANDERSON VAREJAO stayed relatively healthy last season, and the Cavs will need him considering their thin rotation up front. He never developed much of an offensive game, but his energy, defense and rebounding fit well alongside Thompson and James.

Because of this important information, no power rating or computer score edges are posted for this game.

MIAMI: GUARDS: He's a shell of his former self, but the Heat will have to squeeze more regular-season minutes out of DWYANE WADE. His effectiveness could depend on whether or not he finally develops a three-point shot . . . The point guard situation is getting muddied, but the Heat dug deep to re-sign MARIO CHALMERS. He'll top the PG depth chart again . . . NORRIS COLE is likely too small and too erratic to ever be a starter, but he'll continue to play solid minutes with the second unit . . . The Heat seemed to grab SHABAZZ NAPIER on draft night because he's a LeBron James favorite. Now that James is gone, the rookie could be the odd man out in the point guard rotation. He'll have to overcome subpar measurables. FORWARDS: LUOL DENG is most certainly not LeBron James, and he won't fill anything resembling James' new role. He does give them a strong role player, a defensive stopper and secondary scorer . . . JOSH McROBERTS will facilitate the offense at times and generally serve as a floor-spacing, stretch-4. Miami is built to go small with him and Chris Bosh up front . . . DANNY GRANGER is trying to reinvent himself after an injury-filled couple of seasons. He can play both forward spots and might fit best as a stretch-4 in head coach Erik Spoelstra's system . . . UDONIS HASLEM is essentially a mascot during the regular season . . . JAMES ENNIS could break into the rotation later this season. He was tremendous in Summer League play. CENTERS: CHRIS BOSH is the best player on this team by a significant margin. He'll be the focal point of the offense most nights and should flirt with the 20-10 numbers he used to put up in Toronto . . . CHRIS ANDERSEN will often pair with Bosh in the frontcourt, taking some of the defensive heat off Bosh against bigger lineups.

Because of this information, no power rating or computer score edges are posted for this game.

PREVIEW

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER PRO BASKETBALL PREVIEW (CLEVELAND-MIAMI) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Updates with Varejao out for season. With AP Photos.)

*Cavaliers-Heat Preview* ========================

By TIM REYNOLDS and TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writers

Cleveland (17-10) at Miami (13-16), 5:00 p.m. EDT

MIAMI (AP) -- LeBron James doesn't have any apprehension for this homecoming.

There's nothing to fear, no real worries about his safety, unlike what awaited him the last time he had one of these return games. Then again, this might not even classify as a homecoming - because, it turns out, Miami was never truly his home, just a place he called home for four years while playing with the Heat.

He came. He won. He left.

On Thursday, James returns to face the Heat, the team that turned him from a superstar to a two-time NBA champion superstar. And as he and the Cleveland Cavaliers prepare for what will certainly be an emotional Christmas visit, James expects to be flooded with positive vibes.

"To say I haven't thought about going back, I would be lying," James said in Cleveland on Tuesday night after he and the Cavaliers beat Minnesota. "It's going to be great to be back in that building around those unbelievable fans and the memories will definitely come back, being a part of the organization for four years."

For their part, the Heat insist that they're looking forward to the reunion.

It goes without saying that some in the organization were angry when James left this past summer, in large part because of how long it took him to tell Miami that he would not be returning. But the building has hardly been scrubbed of reminders: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra still has photos of James in his office, and huge prints of some of his most memorable moments still adorn the walls of "Championship Alley" - the hallway leading from the Miami locker room.

James remains in contact with some Heat players, and his close friendship with Dwyane Wade continues.

"He made the right decision. He went home," Wade said Wednesday. "You can't say nothing about that decision when someone decides to go home."

The homecoming drama was so different four years ago.

When James returned to Cleveland on Dec. 2, 2010, for the first time after signing as a free agent with Miami, the city that adopted the Akron native as one of its own turned on him. He was booed incessantly by Cavs fans who felt that he had betrayed them despite seven great seasons.

The Heat won that night. And they knew they would never face an atmosphere that daunting again.

"It was just us," James said.

James has spent the past few days downplaying his return to South Florida, but the four-time MVP has found himself reminiscing about what he accomplished alongside Wade, Udonis Haslem, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers and those former Heat teammates who remain in Miami.

They became a family, and for James, family is everything.

"I'm one person who understands being home, being able to stay home and making sacrifices to be home," said Haslem, a Miami native who has spent his entire NBA career there despite the chance to make more elsewhere. "I've done it my whole career and I can't fault him for that. We had a great four years together, we had a lot of success together and we'll continue to be friends."

And remember, they've already played once - at Brazil, in the preseason.

"We already played each other," Wade said. "The NBA messed up on that. ... That whole weirdness, awkwardness that it could be, that's out the window."

Haslem still refers to his former teammate as the best player in the world and downplays the Heat vs. LeBron notion. The teams have other issues - Miami is 13-16 and missing an injured Bosh, and Cleveland lost forward Anderson Varajao for the rest of the season when he went down with an Achilles' injury Tuesday night.

"It ain't about Bron," Haslem said. "It ain't about beating Cleveland because he left to go to Cleveland. It's about the Miami Heat against the Cleveland Cavaliers."

It's anyone's guess what crowd reaction awaits.

Some will boo. Some will cheer. Some may do both.

The Heat will honor James with an in-game video tribute, as they do with many returning players, and will have another for former Miami guard James Jones.

"I don't really get involved in what to expect," James said. "My job is to go down there and win a basketball game and live in the moment."

There was scorn when James left this past summer, of course. Some fans felt like James could have at least publicly thanked Heat fans who welcomed him in 2010, though it could also be argued that those fans getting to enjoy four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals were thanks enough.

But it was nothing like the venom that came from Cleveland when he left in 2010, and that's why whatever scene awaits James Thursday won't come remotely close to matching that avalanche of negativity when Miami visited the Cavaliers for the first time four years ago.

"He left an unbelievable legacy here," Wade said. "In four years he did what players haven't done in their whole career."

---

Reynolds reported from Miami. Withers reported from Cleveland.

Last Updated: 5/17/2024 7:10:23 AM EST.