The NBA season is about to hit the midway mark, with the annual All-Star break on the horizon. That brief hiatus is a time for teams to retool and push for the postseason or decided to call it quits and plan ahead for next year.

Those decisions often hinge on how a team enters the All-Star break. And after a frenzied trade deadline day, mostly around the Cleveland Cavaliers, it will be an interesting week to watch before NBA takes a few days off.

Here are three to team to watch and how to wager on their nba betting lines heading into the NBA All-Star break.

Cleveland Cavaliers
As we mentioned above, the Cavs were the stars – or scrubs – of deadline day. Cleveland, which was an unimpressive 31-22 SU and dismal 15-37-1 ATS, dropped half of its roster Thursday, sending big-names like Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose packing for a slew of younger talents.

The thing about the Cavs, due in part to the lack of depth in the Eastern Conference, is that it doesn’t really matter who they put around LeBron James: they will always have a shot at winning with No. 23 on the court. This new lineup, however, should be much better defensively with some long and athletic bodies eating up space on that end of the floor.

Cleveland, which was allowing more than 110 points per game, plays with a short bench Friday in Atlanta and has a monster road matchup with the Boston Celtics Sunday. The Cavaliers then have another tough task, traveling to Oklahoma City to face the star-studded Thunder Tuesday. With the offensive chemistry off but plenty of capable defenders, the Under could be the way to wager on the King & Co. before the break.

Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves are at the top of the Northwest standings but they’re barely hanging on after a rough skid to open February. Minnesota has dropped five of its last eight outings, boasting a 4-4 ATS mark in that span. The T-Wolves look like contenders in the West at times, and then appear to be a mid-tier team at others. Consistency will be very important in this final week before the break.

Minnesota is on the road in Chicago Friday but then has three straight games at home before the weekend. The Timberwolves host Sacramento, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers, with the Kings and Lakers looking like easy wins for this talents squad.

Defense has been the T-Wolves’ most recent issue, giving up more than 100 points in six of those previous eight outings. Minnesota allows only 103.4 points per home game – about six points less than what it allows on the road. While Sacramento doesn’t pose much of a threat offensively, both Houston and L.A. can put up points, so Over could be the way to go with Minny before the break.

Miami Heat
The homecoming for Dwyane Wade could be overshadowing the fact that the Heat have lost five in a row heading into the weekend, sliding Miami back to second in the Southeast standings. This team has overperformed so far in the 2017-18, already picking up 29 victories after heading into the year with a season win total of 44.5. That means Miami has to go 16-11 SU in the home stretch of the season to pay out for the Over.

Defensively, the Heat are sound. They allow only 101.4 points per game – third lowest in the NBA – and do a good job clearing the glass and limiting second-chance buckets. Wade is a nice addition, however, he’s far from the player he once was in South Beach. He played limited minutes for the Cavs, averaging 11.2 points per game, and is often a game-time decision due to his aging knees.

The final three games before the break are really going to tell a lot about where this franchise wants to go in the remainder of the year. Miami hosts Milwaukee Friday then hits the road to play Toronto and Philadelphia – two very hungry Eastern foes – before the weekend. The Raptors and Sixers can score with the best in the league, and the Heat may not have the firepower – Wade or no Wade – to keep pace and cover.