The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets square off Thursday night in an Eastern Conference matchup at Barclays Center. The struggling Nets (32-31) have lost 15 of their last 18 games but are expected to get Kevin Durant back from a knee injury. The Heat (41-22) are playing the second game of a back-to-back, and they have won nine of their past 11 after falling 120-119 in the final seconds against the Bucks on Wednesday.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in Brooklyn, N.Y. Caesars Sportsbook lists Brooklyn as a 1.5-point favorite in its latest Heat vs. Nets odds, and the Over-Under for total points is set at 222.5. (Check out our  NBA odds page for up-to-date odds on every game available). 

Before you lock in any Nets vs. Heat picks, you NEED to check out the NBA predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 71-44 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning more than $2,100. Anyone following it has seen HUGE returns.

The Heat have been rolling this calendar year, and guard Tyler Herro has been on fire. The third-year pro had 30 points Wednesday, giving him at least 20 in four straight games. Bam Adebayo scored 18, and he averages a double-double with 18.9 points and 10.2 rebounds while Jimmy Butler still does it all. He leads the team in scoring (21.7) and averages 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists. The Heat are third in 3-point shooting (37.4 percent) and make 2.9 more 3-pointers than opponents, the best differential in the league.

Meanwhile, the Nets are expecting Durant to go as the star was absent from the team's injury report Wednesday. He has been out since Jan. 15 with a sprained knee ligament, and the Nets are 5-16 without him, dropping from second to eighth in the East. He is scoring 29.3 points per game, which would rank third in the NBA if he had the games to qualify. Brooklyn could catch the Heat looking ahead after a tough loss Wednesday night and a long home-stand starting Saturday. Seth Curry is averaging 17.9 points for Brooklyn.

The model has locked in on the Nets vs. Heat matchup, and we can tell you it is leaning Under the total. It also shows that one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any NBA picks.

Who wins Heat vs. Nets on Thursday night? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Nets vs. Heat spread you should be all over Thursday, all from the model on a roll on NBA picks!