Professional sports handicapper Jeff Mattingly previews a highly-anticipated Eastern Conference matchup between the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

Miami Heat travels to play the second game of a back-to-back on the road in an atmosphere that frankly no one can predict. "I think it's going to be very emotional for myself," said LeBron James. "I've got a lot of great memories in that city. So many times, from ups and downs and a lot of things I've done in my life." Tonight will mark the first time James plays in the city he use to call home, growing up about 40 miles south in Akron. The Heat are coming off an impressive 97-72 home win over the Detroit Pistons last night, a game that saw them lead by as many as 34 points at one point. The team is 1-7 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record.

The Heat have an 11-8 overall record and have posted a 9-4 mark against the Eastern Conference. Miami will be meeting Cleveland for the first of four matchups this season, as the Cavaliers captured the season-series, 3-0 last year due to having James on their roster. Defensively, the team is coming off a solid performance in holding all five of the Pistons' starters to single-digits. The franchise has done that just four times in its existence.

Cleveland looks to bounce back from a 106-87 home loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night and extend its winning streak to six games over the Heat. In those five meetings, the Cavaliers have outscored the Heat by a 102.2-to-94.0 margin. The team currently stands at 7-10 on the season and has a 6-7 record against conference opponents. In order to pull off the home underdog upset tonight, Cleveland will need to continue relying on a bench that leads the NBA in scoring by averaging 44.7 points per game. The squad is 1-0 ATS as a home underdog of 3.5 to 6 points on the year.

The Cavaliers will need a huge game from point guard Mo Williams, who is averaging 15.9 points and 5.3 assists per game and is the biggest mismatch on the court against the Heat personnel. Before Tuesday's loss to Boston, he was averaging 23.3 points, 8.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds in the team's previous three games. Defensively, Cleveland will need to do a much better job of controlling the paint, as Boston held a 60-26 edge inside in its last contest.

Bettors will likely back the Heat due to their 6-2 ATS mark as a road favorite of 5.0 to 10.5 points, while the Cavaliers are 0-4 ATS as a home underdog in the same situation.
 

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