Vegas has Miami Heat at 36.5 wins for 2016-17 season

The Miami Heat did not get a favorable projection from Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas as it released its odds for the NBA for the upcoming season.

The Heat came in at 12th in the Eastern Conference with 36.5 wins as the line. That’s only better than Brooklyn, Orlando and Philadelphia. And it’s 20 games behind the favorite, Cleveland Cavaliers.

This falls right into the same projection that the ESPN panel of experts had Miami at 36-46 and 12th in the East earlier this summer.

The Miami last year went 48-34 and lost in 7 games to the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. But, they’ve lost a significant amount of help including Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, and Luol Deng.

There’s also the uncertainty of Chris Bosh, who seems ready to go, but no official word has been given on his availability. The 36 wins would be a 12 game difference and would again land the Heat in the NBA lottery for the 2nd time in 3 years.

HOW THE MIAMI HEAT CAN WIN 50 GAMES THIS SEASON

However, the Heat have several promising pieces that hope to help them improve their Vegas line once the season starts. Goran Dragic will have more control, Hassan Whiteside should be even better, and the core of Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow are intriguing.

HOW TO JUDGE THIS SEASON FOR THE MIAMI HEAT

The Miami Heat will definitely have a different season this year, but the franchise and fanbase expect more than 12th in the East.