Two teams that have been going in opposite directions lately will face off Friday night in South Beach. One team was in the playoffs last year and has higher expectations, while the other is looking for redemption after a flameout in last year’s NBA Finals. It’s the new “Big Three” taking the court when the Miami Heat play host to the New York Knicks. Here’s a look at my NBA picks for tonight’s game.

New York Knicks @ Miami Heat, 8 p.m. ET

The Knicks have scuttled mightily in the last couple of weeks, entering this game as losers of seven of their last eight following a 91-81 loss at Cleveland Wednesday night. The team had been known as a high-scoring club since Mike D’Antoni came aboard as coach, but most of the struggles have been due to a lack of points. In only two of their losses have they hit triple-digits in points, and as a team the Knicks rank a pedestrian 16 th in the league in scoring (94.5 points per game). Carmelo Anthony is still the team’s top scorer (23.6 ppg), but he’s shooting less than 40 percent from the floor. Amar’e Stoudemire (17.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg) is solid and Tyson Chandler has been a positive addition (10.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg), and a great surprise has been the play of rookie Iman Shumpert at the point (11.3 ppg, 2.4 steals pg).

The Heat, as expected, are at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 13-5 mark after winning five of its last six games, including a 101-98 win at Detroit Wednesday night. The team is 7-2 at home and is in the middle of a stretch of eight home games in nine dates. The Heat, unlike most teams after the lockout, have had little trouble scoring, as they ranks second in the league in points (104.4 pg). Miami has been a bit suspect on defense, however (ranking 22 nd in the league, giving up 96.8 ppg). The “Big Three” of LeBron James (29.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 7.1 apg), Dwyane Wade (19.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 1.7 bpg) and Chris Bosh (21.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg) has been primarily a Big Two of late, as Wade has missed the last several games with an ankle injury. He is officially listed as day-to-day.

A look at the latest NBA odds shows the Heat as 10-point favorites, while the total has been posted at 199 points. With the Knicks struggling to score, a lot of emphasis needs to be placed on their transition defense and rebounding. Miami is not the greatest rebounding team, but with James and Mario Chalmers leading the offense, it is one of the best transition teams in the league. Miami generally plays well at home, while New York has been pretty competitive on the road (4-5). Even without Wade, Miami has a fair amount of depth, while New York rarely plays more than eight guys on any given night. This game may be closer than people think, but Miami has the talent to pull out the win.

Final Score Prediction: Heat 100, Knicks 92