Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 1 Best Bets, Player Props

If it’s playoff time, that means another season of Miami rising from the ranks of the forgotten to force its way into the postseason.

There’s a bit of history between the franchises meeting Sunday evening. Fifteen years after LeBron James left Northeast Ohio to take his talents to South Beach, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat will meet in the playoffs for the first time.

Miami locked up its berth with a 123-114 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, becoming the first No. 10 seed to qualify through the play-in tournament. It also tied a franchise record with its sixth straight playoff appearance.

Miami’s next challenge is much tougher. The eighth-seeded Heat must knock off the top-seeded Cavaliers in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series. Game 1 is Sunday in Cleveland.

Here’s a look at our best bets for Sunday night:

Tyler Herro 3-plus points in every quarter (+130, FanDuel)

The odds are better for Herro to score three points in each quarter than they are for him to hit 25-plus points for the third straight game. Herro is on a heater in the playoffs, starting with more than a dozen points in the first eight minutes of the win at Chicago. He followed that with a triple-double in the win at Atlanta that secured Miami’s spot in this series.

When these teams met in late January, Herro hit four 3-pointers and had 22 points in a losing effort. He scored 34 points — including five 3s — in their Dec. 8 matchup.

Under 215.5 total points (-112, FanDuel)

Give an NBA team nearly a week off, and the result is usually frigid shooting and sloppy play. Factor in the Heat and master of preparation Erik Spoelstra, and the Cavs feel a bit risky as 12.5-point favorites in our humble opinion.

Cleveland should be able to leg out the win, but don’t count on style points. Because of Cleveland’s size, we expect Miami to depend heavily on perimeter scoring after a sprint to reach the eight-team Eastern Conference field.

Cavaliers C Evan Mobley double-double (-130, DraftKings)

Post-All-Star break, Mobley has been excellent, averaging just under 19 points and 10 rebounds per game.

He’s been as productive as anyone in the Cavaliers’ lineup this month, notching a double-double in seven of his last 11 games — including two of three matchups this season against the Heat.