Miami Heat 2020 Restart Preview - NBA Odds, Picks, & Betting Predictions

When the NBA 2019-20 season was suspended on March 12th, the Miami Heat were leading the Southeast division by 11 games over the second-place Orlando Magic. Miami has an overall record of 41-24 which is fourth in the Eastern Conference standings two and a half games behind the third-place Boston Celtics and two games ahead of the fifth place Indiana Pacers. The Heat are an impressive 27-5 at home this season and  a disappointing 14-19 on the road.

Jimmy Butler is leading the Miami Heat in scoring and assists with averages of 20.2 points and 6.1 assists per game. In addition, Butler also leads the Heat in steals per game at 1.7. The second leading scorer and leading rebounder for Miami is Bam Adebayo with averages of 16.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Miami has eight players averaging double-figures in scoring.

The Heat have surprised basketball pundits this season as Miami was not expected to play as well as they did prior to the season being suspended. Butler and Adebayo both earned trips to the NBA All-Star Game while rookies Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro have also made big contributions. Both Duncan Robinson and Derrick Jones Jr., who won the Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star break, have also made contributions to the Heat’s success. Veteran point guard Goran Dragic returned from an injury and played well in a reserve role shortly before the season was suspended. The acquisition of Andre Iguodala was an important one as the veteran has a great deal of playoff experience and court leadership.

Although the Miami Heat are an impressive 27-5 playing on their home court at American Airlines Arena in Miami, the Heat must improve playing on the road when they return at the end of July, as they will most likely end up playing more on the road during the postseason than at home. Miami through 33 road games this season has won just 14 while losing 19. Much of that is due to the lack of overall experience on the Miami roster as Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder are the only Heat players that play large numbers of minutes and have experience especially on the road.

Depending upon how the Miami Heat finish their final games of the regular season when it restarts at the end of July will determine if they open up the postseason at home with home court advantage or on the road against an opponent such as the Indiana Pacers. If Miami opens the postseason with home court advantage in the first round expect the Heat to win that series but following that Miami is likely not to have the home court advantage and their poor play on the road will be detrimental to their success. Miami will easily win the Southwest division but will be knocked out of the playoffs in the second round.