Miami to heat up in Toronto as Knicks visit LA

17Mar 2013

NBA

There is a big night of live NBA action on Sky Sports on Sunday, with the stars of the Miami Heat heading to Toronto to face the Raptors before a clash between the East and West as the New York Knicks take on the Los Angeles Clippers.

Miami Heat @ Toronto Raptors

The Miami Heat have simply been unstoppable over the past month or so. They face the Toronto Raptors looking to extend a winning streak which now stretches to a staggering 21 games, as they coast through the regular season at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Having broken a franchise record for consecutive wins, their run is now the third longest in NBA history and on Sunday they will face the team that it all started against back on February 3.

Leading the way is LeBron James who has averaged just over 25 points per game during the streak, shooting almost 60% from the field. However, 'King James' has been well supported by Dwyane Wade throughout as the Heat continue to dismantle defences up and down the league.

Coach Erik Spoelstra is also getting solid minutes and scoring from the rest of the roster, with Ray Allen, Shane Battier and Chris Bosh all playing vital roles at different times.

It hasn't all been as easy as it would suggest though, but the Raptors are unlikely to threaten bringing the run to an end. The Heat have defeated them twice already this season, and despite the danger posed by DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay, expect Miami to come away with another win.

Recommended Bet: Back the Miami Heat to win

New York Knicks @ Los Angeles Clippers

The New York Knicks have had a torrid last fortnight, losing games and even more worryingly, key players to injuries.

Amar'e Stoudemire will sit out the remainder of the regular season after under-going knee surgery, while both Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony are questionable as to whether they will feature at the Staples Center when the Knicks take on the Los Angeles Clippers.

Mike Woodson's men have now slipped to third in the Eastern Conference, having harboured hopes of topping the standings earlier in the season with their impressive ball movement and three-point shooting.

However, as the panic begins to set in they have continuously resorted to their go-to guy in Anthony to get them out of trouble and while he has struggled to get his game going recently, they have struggled further in his absence despite the best efforts of J.R. Smith.

They will hope to end a three-game losing streak on their trip to the West, where the Clippers lie in wait hoping to get back to winning ways themselves.

Similarly to the Knicks, the Clippers have also fallen off the pace in recent weeks with the Memphis Grizzlies surpassing them and the Denver Nuggets cutting the gap to third in the Western Conference.

They prepare for the game with a 6-4 record in their last 10 outings, but have been impressive at home and will still be favourites to come out on top having won at the Garden earlier in the season by 14 points.

The potential absence of Anthony and Chandler could be too much for the Knicks to overcome, but their offensive style means that on any given night if the likes of Smith and Steve Novak start draining threes, anything is possible.

However, with the Clippers so deadly on the fast-break they will be looking to book their latest victims in for a stay at 'Lob City' and to make the most of the Knicks' current headaches.

Recommended Bet: Back the Los Angeles Clippers to win

Other Games

There are a handful of key games in the race for the play-offs on Sunday night, starting with the Golden State Warriors taking on the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets have sealed the season series having won all three previous meetings this year, and after James Harden poured in 37 points on Friday, expect them to make it a whitewash.

Switching to the East, the Atlanta Hawks travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets at the Barclays Center. With a resurgent Deron Williams dominating the back-court for the Nets, they will be confident of consolidating fourth spot.

Recommended Bets

Back the Houston Rockets to win

Back the Brooklyn Nets to win