Miami Heat vs. Golden State Warriors: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread and More
The surging Miami Heat (9-1) are heading to the West Coast to take on the Golden State Warriors (2-6) in the first of three games in four nights on the road.
Golden State looks to provide little challenge as an underdog without one of their best players, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want a shot at a team everyone believes is the best.
Keep reading to find out the status of key players, what the local media is saying and a prediction for the final score of this cross-coast battle.
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
When: Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 10:30 p.m. EDT
Watch: CSNBay(HD), NBA League Pass (Live Stream)
Listen: ESPN 760 AM – Miami, KNBR 680/1050 AM – Golden State
Betting Line: Heat -7.5 (Via ScoresAndOdds)
Heat
Dwyane Wade – DBT (Foot)
Mario Chalmers – PRB (Shoulder)
Warriors
Stephen Curry – OUT (Ankle)
Andris Biedrins - ? (Ankle)
What's At Stake?
Miami has had no problem rolling through their schedule without Dwayne Wade, who may actually have plantar fasciitis in his bruised left foot and could potentially miss a lot more time.
Fortunately, they go up against a Warriors team struggling thus far this season without arguably their best player, Stephen Curry.
Curry is out with an ankle injury and isn’t expected back for at least the next two games.
They are going to have a hard time beating an elite team without him.
What They're Saying
Joseph Goodman at The Miami Herald caught up with Wade, who wants to play badly, but knows he could risk the team’s long-term goal of winning a championship by coming back too early.
"I wanted to play the other night against New Jersey. If it was up to me, I would have played, but in Miami we make sure we all come together and put our heads together and see what’s the best for the team and for the player.
"
Warriors coach Mark Jackson thinks his team needs to positively think in order to win games.
""The great teams think, `What's going to happen now to win this game?" first-year coach Jackson said. "The teams that have a history of losing think, `What's going to happen that's been happening that's going to cause us to lose?'"
"
Heat Player to Watch: LeBron James
James is listed as probable, but he was listed the same against the Nets and went off for 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in that game.
Doesn’t seem like his ankle is bothering him too much.
Warriors Player to Watch: Monta Ellis
Ellis needs to step his game up big time if the Warriors are going to win this without Curry.
He’s averaging 24.1 points, 8.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds this season and will need to improve on those numbers tonight.
Key Matchup: Defense
The Warriors pride themselves on defense under Mark Jackson, but they are getting defended harshly themselves.
They are averaging just 89.9 points a game this season, well below their mark of 103.4 in 2010-11.
If they can’t break this slump and get better looks, they have no chance.
Prediction
Heat 104, Warriors 99
