L.A. Lakers at Miami Heat Betting Odds


Opening Line: Lakers -4.5 / Heat +4.5 O/U 188.5

Time: 8 PM EST Thursday March 4, 2010 on TNT

Tonight in a non-conference match up in South Florida the Miami Heat host the defending champion L.A. Lakers. The Lakers have the 2nd best record in the NBA and are running away with the Western Conference while the Heat are fighting just to make the playoffs. Currently the Heat are in the 8th and last playoff spot in the East, but they only trail the 5th place Toronto Raptors by 2 games.

The Heat really want to move up in the standings, as they do not want to face Cleveland or Orlando in the 1st round of the playoffs.

Kobe Bryant (27.4 ppg) has been struggling since coming back from an ankle injury only shooting 34.3% in his last 3 games. However, the Lakers have won all of those games with others really stepping it up.

The Heat are coming off a win and are 6-4 in their last 10 games and the Lakers have won 3 straight and are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

This season the Heat are 15-14 at home and 29-32 ATS and the Lakers are 17-10 on the road and 26-33-2 ATS.

One of the players that have stepped up their play is Lamar Odom (10.3 ppg), who is averaging 13.5 ppg and 10.8 rpg in his last 10 games.

The Heat are thin on the inside and they have to play good D as a team on Odom and the twin towers of Pau Gasol (17.2 ppg 11.2 rpg) and Andrew Bynum (15 ppg 8.2 rpg). Jermaine O'Neal (13.4 ppg 7.4 rpg) is the only real big man for Miami so he will need help in the paint.

With all the stars that the Lakers have one key player may be Jordan Farmer (7.7 ppg), who is getting more playing time recently. In his last 3 games against Miami is averaging 14.7 ppg on 65.4% shooting and when Farmer scores in double figures the Lakers are 17-1 this season.

The Heat really wanted Amare Stoudamire from the Suns, but could not get him before the trade deadline. Since they did not they will have to depend on Dwayne Wade (26.2 ppg) to carry them to the post season.

Wade has been solid this season and he will get his points tonight, but O'Neal and Michael Beasley (15.4 ppg) really have to help him out in the scoring department.

If the Heat lose this game they will only be .500 at home.

L.A. is 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games, 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a road favorite of 0.5-4.5, and has an Under record of 6-1 in their last 7 road games.

Miami is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games, 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog, and has an Under record of 7-1 in their last 8 road games.

In the last 5 games in Miami between these 2 teams the total has gone Under 5 times.

Our Selection : The Lakers have won 3 in a row and 8 of their last 10. Kobe Bryant (27.4 ppg) has been struggling since coming back from an ankle injury only shooting 34.3% in his last 3 games. However, the Lakers have won all of those games with others really stepping it up. Kobe will break out soon and maybe playing against superstar Dwayne Wade (26.2 ppg) will get him going. Even though in last 5 games in Miami between these 2 teams the total has gone under all 5 times, the linesmaker has posted a number we think is easily reachable. Take Over 188.5 points.


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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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