Miami Heat vs Golden State Warriors Prediction: Combined starting 5 featuring Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry
The reigning East champions, Miami Heat, will visit the Chase Center to face the Golden State Warriors on February 17th. It will be Miami's fourth game of their current seven-game road trip to the West, and they will be looking to end their two-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are 15-13 in the 2020-21 NBA season and need to put together a solid run of wins to secure their place among the postseason spots in the stacked Western Conference.
Stephen Curry's been leading the Golden State Warriors to some impressive wins this season and he's been tremendous even in recent losses. For the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler has been extraordinary since returning from Covid-19.
Miami Heat vs Golden State Warriors Prediction: Combined starting 5
The Miami Heat are coming off consecutive losses to two great teams on the road (Utah Jazz and LA Clippers) but had four straight victories before that and have five wins in their last 10 games. They improved their record in the 2020-21 NBA campaign to 11-16 and find themselves in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, just a couple of games behind the sixth seed.
The Golden State Warriors, on the other hand, are 5-5 in their last 10 outings and are coming off a blowout over the Cleveland Cavaliers behind 36 points from their two-time NBA MVP, Stephen Curry.
Here is our combined starting five with the best players from the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors.
Guard - Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Stephen Curry is one of the strongest candidates for the NBA MVP award even if his name does not come up that often in some polls. Curry is having one of his greatest seasons in the NBA and might even rival his 2015-16 campaign, when he became the first unanimous MVP in league history.
Curry is averaging 30 points per game with an incredible 50/44/93 shooting splits and he's been efficient from every level offensively for the Golden State Warriors. He has made 44% of his three-point field goals and 58% of his two-point shots. Curry is also averaging 5.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game so far.
In his last outing, Curry scored 36 points in 29 minutes to lead the Golden State Warriors' blowout win over Cleveland. In his last 10 appearances, Curry is averaging 34.5 points on 58/51/96 shooting splits.
Guard - Tyler Herro (Miami Heat)
Tyler Herro is one of the Miami Heat's hopes for the future, and he is certainly showing signs of huge potential. The sophomore is having a good year for the Miami Heat in the 2020-21 NBA season and has improved some of his numbers from last year.
Herro is averaging a career-high 17.3 points per game with shooting splits of 45/35/77 and is also posting his best numbers in terms of rebounds (5.8) and assists per game (3.9).
His 3P shooting percentage (39% last year) and free-throw percentage (87% last year) have fallen to 35% and 77%, respectively, but he should be able to regain his form in the upcoming games.
Forward - Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
Miami Heat's small forward, Jimmy Butler, missed 10 consecutive games between January 12th and January 28th, and the Heat went 2-8 without him and other key pieces.
But since Butler's return, Miami are 5-4 and even put together a streak of four consecutive wins before losing against the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers in their previous games. In his nine games since returning, Butler is averaging 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to go with two steals per game in 34 minutes per night.
Overall, Butler is averaging 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in the 2020-21 NBA season (15 appearances).
Forward - Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
Draymond Green is an essential piece for Steve Kerr's Golden State Warriors on both ends of the court. He is the team's best defender and arguably the best distributor on offense. Though he is averaging just five points per game, he is a reluctant scorer who normally looks to get others involved and help the team in different ways.
He is averaging six rebounds and eight assists per game (team-high). In the previous game against Cleveland, Green tied his career-high with 16 assists in the Golden State Warriors' dominant win. He also had some powerful words in the post-game press conference regarding Cleveland center Andre Drummond's situation.
Center - Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
Bam Adebayo is a hugely important piece in Erik Spoelstra's puzzle and the athletic big man has delivered for the Miami Heat.
Adebayo is the team leader in total points scored in the 2020-21 NBA season and has also been a consistent defender. He has the second-best Defensive Rating among Miami Heat players, and ranks behind Jimmy Butler, who has been available in just 15 games compared to Bam's 25.
Coming off his first All-Star appearance and a good postseason run, Adebayo is having his best year so far with 19.8 points, nine rebounds and five assists per game.
Also read: "Do you not think that affects someone mentally?" Draymond Green blasts the NBA for differential treatment of teams and players in trade situations