The Miami Beach Hi-Tides will square off against the Central Rockets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Miami Beach is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.8 points per game this season.
Last Thursday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Miami Beach beat Coral Park 53-49.
Miami Beach got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Shirpsen Jean out in front who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten assists. Miami Beach is 6-3 when Jean posts ten or more assists, but 0-3 otherwise. Baptiste T was another key player, putting up 16 points.
Meanwhile, Central came tearing into Thursday's contest with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by the Lightning to the tune of 103-63. The Rockets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 20 points or more this season.
Central's win came from a few key players Miami Beach will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Marlon Gaitan, who went 9 of 13 from beyond the arc on his way to 34 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Keri Foster, who went 7 of 10 on his way to 16 points along with eight assists and eight steals.
Central pushed their record up to 11-2 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 77.3 points per game. As for Miami Beach, the win got them back to even at 6-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Miami Beach has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25 boards per game. However, it's not like Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Miami Beach skirted past Central 63-60 in their previous matchup back in December of 2018. Will Miami Beach repeat their success, or does Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
