Tip-off: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

The Thunder will be going for their fourth straight win when they face the Heat in Miami on Tuesday.

Oklahoma City is coming off of an impressive Christmas Day victory over Minnesota, and the Thunder can now win their fourth straight game on Tuesday. They put on a clinic offensively on Sunday, shooting 51.2% from the floor and dishing out 26 assists. They’ll need to keep that up heading into Tuesday’s game. Miami, meanwhile, needs to find a way to score and the team will need to do it soon. This Heat team was expecting to compete for a playoff spot in a weak Eastern Conference, but they have not looked very competitive for most of the season. They’re even struggling at home, where they are just 5-11 SU (7-9 ATS) on the season. One thing worth pointing out when looking at this game is the fact that the Thunder have struggled when playing on the second night of a back-to-back this season. They are just 2-4 both SU and ATS with no days rest on the season. Oklahoma City is, however, an impressive 9-5 SU and 7-6-1 ATS when facing Eastern Conference opponents on the year. The Heat, meanwhile, are only 5-8 SU against the Western Conference this season, but they are 8-5 ATS in those games. SG Victor Oladipo (Wrist) is listed as questionable for this contest.

The Thunder are coming off of a blowout victory over the Timberwolves and PG Russell Westbrook (31.7 PPG, 10.9 APG, 10.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG) was phenomenal in that one. Westbrook put on a show on national television, finishing with 31 points, 15 assists, seven boards, a steal and a block. He should be able to put up some big numbers against the Heat as well. There really aren’t many point guards with the size and speed to stay in front of him, and Goran Dragic is likely not going to be the one that finds a way. Cs Steven Adams (11.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.4 SPG) and Enes Kanter (13.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG) are going to need to be on their games in this one, though. Oklahoma City will be facing one of the best centers in the league on Tuesday, so both guys will need to play well. Adams will be the one that must defend Hassan Whiteside, but Kanter needs to continue to play the type of basketball he has been playing. Kanter has scored 20 points in back-to-back games for Oklahoma City, and he also had four assists on Christmas Day. He is reading the defense well and will need to be a force on Tuesday.

The Heat are currently trying to figure themselves out, as there is talk that this team could try to rebuild soon. Miami has not gotten off to the type of start that Pat Riley had hoped, but things can turn fast in the Eastern Conference. If the Heat are going to get things going on Tuesday then PG Goran Dragic (19.3 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.0 RPG) must hold his own against Russell Westbrook. Dragic has been playing well recently, averaging 23.0 PPG and 7.0 APG over the past five contests. It is, however, the defensive end that’ll be crucial on Tuesday. He can’t afford to let Westbrook put up insane numbers or Miami has no chance of winning this game. Also, C Hassan Whiteside (18.0 PPG, 14.9 RPG, 2.4 BPG) must find a way to dominate this game for the Heat. The Thunder have some good centers, but the Heat need Whiteside to be a force in the paint on both ends. If he can do his best to derail Westbrook when the guard attacks the rim then the Thunder offense might just be very uncomfortable.