Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat Prediction, NBA Odds

Daniel Coyle | Updated Dec 28, 2022

The Heat aim to win back-to-back games at home for the first time in five weeks when they play host to the Lakers on Wednesday.

L.A. Lakers
43-39
AT
December 28, 2022, 7:30 PM ET
American Airlines Arena
Miami
44-38
Pointspread +9 -110
Moneyline +288
Over / Under o +228

82%

Betting Action

18%

Pointspread -9 -110
Moneyline -352
Over / Under u +228

82%

Betting Action

18%

The Heat posted a narrow 113-110 win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, snapping a three-game home losing streak. The Lakers arrive in Miami on a high after snapping a four-game slide with a one-sided 129-110 win in Orlando on Tuesday night.

The Heat have improved to 8-point favourites since opening as 7-point chalk, while the total has held steady since opening at 224.

Lakers vs. Heat NBA Betting Odds

Wednesday night’s matchup at FTX Arena marks the first of two regular season meetings between these clubs. Both of which are scheduled over the next week. The Heat have taken four of six from the Lakers, capped by a 113-107 home win last January that marked Miami’s second straight home victory in head-to-head action. The Heat have also regularly paid out at the sportsbook, covering in six of their past nine dates with LA, and are also 4-2 against the spread in the Lakers’ past six visits to South Florida. The OVER has paid out in each of their past three meetings despite seeing the total top 220 just once over that stretch. The Lakers will hit the court on back-to-back nights for the fifth time this season on Wednesday night. The club has lost three of four when playing in the back half of games on consecutive nights, and are 2-10 straight up over their past 12.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers flexed some old man muscle in Tuesday’s victory over the surging Magic. Facing a youthful Orlando squad that had taken a huge leap forward while winning eight of their previous nine, the Lakers stormed out to an early lead and never looked back while romping to their most decisive road victory of the season. Forced to carry the Lakers offence since Anthony Davis was hobbled by a foot injury. LeBron James saw his run of seven straight games with 30 or more points halted, but still racked up a game-high 28 points. And unlike in the club’s 124-115 loss in Dallas on Christmas Day, James enjoyed plenty of support on Tuesday night.

Russell Westbrook piled up 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists while recording his third double-double in eight outings, while big man Thomas Bryant bounced back from consecutive shaky performances with 21 points and 10 boards. However, the Lakers face a challenge to overcome a lengthening run of underwhelming offensive performances in recent visits to Miami, where they have averaged just 104.6 points per game over their past five appearances.

Miami Heat

The Heat managed to hold off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Timberwolves in Monday’s 113-110 win over Minnesota that lifted the team’s straight up record to 17-17. However, with injuries remaining a major concern, Miami faces a huge challenge in its bid to overcome its recent woes on home court. The Heat have mustered wins in just two of their past six home contests, and have disappointed sports bettors by compiling a dismal 4-13-1 against the spread record at home so far this season. That includes a disappointing 2-3 straight record while covering just once in five outings to date while pegged as home chalk by seven or more points.

Complicating matters are lingering injury concerns that could impact the lineup on Wednesday night. Veteran small forward Jimmy Butler and big man Bam Adebayo both missed Monday’s contest due to injury, and the duo remain listed as questionable for Wednesday’s matchup. But while Kyle Lowry was absent from Tuesday practice, he is expected to suit up on Wednesday. The former Toronto Raptors star contributed 18 points and nine helpers in Monday’s win, and has now averaged 17 points per game over his past three home appearances, and 29.3 points per game in his past three outings versus LA.

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