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The NBA Trade Deadline and All-Star Weekend have come and gone, so that means we’re in the home stretch of the 2019-20 NBA season. In this serious post-All-Star Break, we’ll go over the outlook for every team in the NBA. Here, we’ll provide a short glimpse at championship odds and playoff chances for each team. Also highlighted are key injuries to note and a fantasy basketball player to watch the rest of the season.
Where do the Miami Heat stand at the All-Star Break?
Record: 35-19
Playoff Chances: 100%
Championship Odds: +2000
Division Odds: -10000
Conference Championship winner: +700
The Heat have exceeded expectations in a major way this season. Even though they finished 10th in the Eastern Conference last year, they managed to land Jimmy Butler in free agency. Miami also acquired top-notch rookies in Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn while also benefiting from the emergence of Duncan Robinson. Bam Adebayo has developed into an All-Star and it appears like good things could be on the way after the break. Andre Iguodala is getting accustomed to the team after being dealt by the the Memphis Grizzlies ahead of the trade deadline, and the Heat should get some key players back from injuries in March. They sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 35-19 record and might not be at their peak yet.
Prediction: Miami will finish as the 3-seed or better in the Eastern Conference.
Key Injuries for Miami Heat
Tyler Herro, SG/SF (foot) — out
Meyers Leonard, PF/C (ankle) — out
Herro has missed five straight games since suffering a foot injury against the Philadelphia 76ers. He has primarily operated as a scorer and fearless big shot maker off the bench for Miami. Leonard hurt his ankle against the 76ers and has missed the same amount of games as Herro. Both should be back for Miami after the All-Star break and help them push for the best possible playoff spot in the back half of the season.
Fantasy basketball spotlight: Kendrick Nunn
Nunn wasn’t selected in the 2018 NBA Draft but has had a surprisingly impressive rookie campaign. The Heat picked Nunn up from the G-League in April 2019 after he averaged 19.3 points in 49 games for Santa Cruz. He has booted Goran Dragic from the starting lineup and has become a valuable scorer. Nunn is averaging 15.3 points per game. His production has dipped a little ahead of the All-Star break though, as February has been his lowest scoring month of the year.
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