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The Golden State Warriors are just a few wins away from confirming their place in the NBA play-offs, but begin a tough stretch with a road game against the Miami Heat. Join The Roar for live scores from 11:30am (AEDT).
The Warriors come into this game with 50 wins from 55 games, and only need three more to mathematically eliminate the chance of them missing the play-offs.
Realistically they have been there for a long time, and the question now is whether they overtake the NBA’s best-ever record.
That record currently belongs to the Chicago Bulls, who recorded 72 wins and 10 losses in 1996.
Stephen Curry has the chance in this match to equal an all-time record for most consecutive games with a three-point field goal. The record is 127, set by Kyle Korver, and Curry sits on 126 games.
Curry’s three-point shooting has been insane this season, so much so it had videogame developers scratching their heads about how to make the game fair. He is shooting almost 50 per cent at around 11 attempts per game.
Despite all that, the Warriors suffered an away loss to the Trail Blazers just a few nights ago, and a big one at that, as they went down by 32, showing there are still flaws in their system. In saying that, it was their first loss in 11 games, and since then they have recorded road wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks.
The Heat meanwhile, will be looking to Chris Bosh to provide the goods once again. He is averaging 19.5 points per game for the season, backed up by Hassan Whiteside who is shooting at over 60 per cent and averaging 12.6 points per game.
Whiteside’s biggest asset though is his blocking. He is averaging 3.9 per game, and has to worry the Warriors inside during this game. If he is backed up by Goran Drajic and Dwayne Wade with perimeter defence, then they could stifle the Warriors’ scoring – but the paint must be a no-go zone.
The Heat come into this one having won three in a row, but three of their last five after losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers. Wins against the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards have helped to restore confidence though.
In their only other match this season, the Warriors defeated the Heat by eight points at home.
Prediction
The Heat, with home court advantage, might be able to get the job done. It will all come down to their inside defence, and ability to shut down Curry.
Heat by 1 in overtime.
Join The Roar for live scores of this match from 11:30am (AEDT) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below as the match unfolds.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
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