Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat Betting Odds


Opening Betting Line : 76ers +9.5 / Heat -9.5
Over/Under : 190

Game Time : 7 PM EST Monday April 18, 2011 on TNT

The Heat came back from a big deficit to beat the 76ers in Game 1 and this season they have won all 4 games against Philadelphia. One big concern for the Heat is that Dwayne Wade missed practice on Sunday because of symptoms of a migraine and he is questionable for Game 2 tonight. If he cannot play there will be that much more pressure on LeBron James and Chris Bosh to step up on offense. History says that the 76ers must win this game, as they are 0-16 in playoff series’ when in a 0-2 hole.

The Heat won Game 1 over the 76ers 97-89 with Philadelphia covering the 10.5-point spread.

This season the Heat are 40-42-1 ATS and the 76ers are 47-35-1 ATS.

Obviously trying to contain the Big 3 is the goal of the 76ers and in Game 1 James, Wade, and Bosh combined to score 61 points. However, James and Wade only combined to shoot 10/27 from the floor and overall Miami only shot 41.9% from the field and 23.5% from beyond the 3-pt arc. If the Heat struggle with their shot again the 76ers have a chance to steal a game in Miami.

Miami PG Mike Bibby has to bounce back after only scoring 8 points on 3 of 9 shooting and only hitting 2 of his 7 3-pt bombs. If he can score it opens up the court for the Big 3 to operate.

Like the Heat the 76ers did not shoot the rock well in Game 1 with a FG% of 41.2%. Elton Brand and Jrue Holliday combined for 36 points and F Thaddeus Young came off the bench to explode for 20 points and 11 boards. Andre Iguodala only had 4 points on2/7 shooting and he has to get back on track in this game for Philadelphia to win.

The 76ers have to hit the boards better than in Game 1 when the Heat out-rebounded them 52-39. Brand and Young have to keep Bosh and James, who combined for 26 rebounds in Game 1, from killing them on the glass.

One other key to the 76ers in this game is they cannot settle for the jumper, as they have to attack the rim and get to the charity stripe. In Game 1 the Heat took 39 free throws while the 76ers only took 15.

In some betting trends for this Eastern Conference quarterfinals game:

Philadelphia is 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games against teams with a winning S.U. record and has an Under record of 7-0 in their last 7 games.

Miami is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games, 1-5 ATS in their last 6 playoff games as a favorite of 5.0-10.5, and has an Under record of 4-0 in their last 4 games.

Our Selection : The 76ers made a solid late run which was definitely a confidence booster. Look for Philadelphia to give the Heat all they can handle tonight and grab an easy point spread cover. Take the 76ers +9.5 at Bodog.


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Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat Odds 6-12
The Mavs are up 3-2 in this series heading to South Beach and for the Heat to force Game 7 they will have to play better in the 4th quarter, especially LeBron James. 5Dimes has the hometown Heat as 5-point favorites in Game 6 with a total of 187.

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