Heat vs. Lakers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
In a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals, the Miami Heat are heading to Los Angeles to face the Lakers for the first time since losing the NBA Championship to L.A.
The Lakers are 4.0-point favourites to win on the NBA odds with a total of 209.0.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It took six games, but the last time the Lakers saw Miami, the Heat were walking off the court as confetti fell down to celebrate L.A.’s 17th championship. Most of the key players from that series, like Jimmy Butler and LeBron James will suit up for this game, but it’s the depth players who have changed. These won’t be the same teams from October, as the Lakers have only become better, while the Heat have taken a step back.
Miami has struggled to cover the spread this season. The Heat are 10-18-1 against the spread overall and have only covered in four of their last 14 games. Scoring has been up-and-down for the Heat all season. Miami has hit the Over in 14 of 29 games, including five times at home and nine times on the road.
The Lakers are starting to trend back toward high scoring games. L.A. has only hit the Over in 12 of 30 games overall, but they have managed to hit it in five of their last seven. L.A. hasn’t been much better are covering. The Lakers 14-16 ATS, covering five times at home and nine times on the road.
Miami Heat
Miami just doesn’t look like the same team from last year and a poor road trip isn’t helping. The Heat have lost three of the five games on their current trip. Miami is, however, coming off a 118-110 win over Sacramento on Thursday. Tyler Herro had a game-high 27 points, while Kelly Olynyk dropped 22 points. Butler put up 13 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists for his third straight triple-double.
Butler is the first Heat player in franchise history to post a triple-double three games in a row. After missing several games at the start of the season and putting up poor numbers, Butler looks like he’s getting back on track. Butler is second on Miami in average points per game (19.1) and rebounds (7.8) and leads the team in assists (7.7). Bam Adebayo leads the team in points (19.8), rebounds (9.3) and blocks (1.0).
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have won eight of their last 10 games and come into Saturday with the second best record in the NBA. James will be forced to carry a lot of the load in this game though, as Anthony Davis is out for at least another four weeks with a calf injury. Despite James’ game-high 32 points on Thursday, L.A. still came away with a 109-98 loss to Brooklyn. After being a late scratch for the Brooklyn game, Dennis Schroder will also miss this game due to COVID-19 protocols. Missing two of your top three players puts any team, even with LeBron James on the roster, in a bad position. Expect a big game from James as he will get increased minutes and more shot attempts.
MIA
LAL