Los Angeles Lakers AT Miami Heat
Mar 10, 2011 at 7 PM EST
Opening Line: LA -2
Current Line: LA -2
Opening Total: 188
Current Total: 188.5
Opening Moneyline: LA -130 / Mia +110
Current Moneyline: LA -123 / Mia +111
For as good as the Heat had been, they have been equally as bad of late. As losers of their last 5 they face the defending champs tonight. The Heat have fallen to third in the Eastern Conference and are only 2 games ahead of fourth seed Orlando. And it has given most fans immense satisfaction to see the Heat fail.
Laker coach Phil Jackson commented on the phenomenon, “From what I’ve heard, this team feels like they’re being looked at to lose, or they’ve been hoped at to lose,” Jackson stated. “I know locally that can’t stand true, but nationally, if that’s the case, it’s a burden to carry. And then those games that are dramatic become bigger than they really should be.”
For all the panic that fans seem to proliferate, Bosh isn’t buying much into it. “We’re all in this together, but at the end of the day, we know what people are going to be looking at,” Bosh said. “And we know who’s going to get the finger pointed at them first. And rightfully so—we asked for this, coming together, and we knew that coming into the situation. We take the responsibility of it. It is what it is, no matter what we say, no matter what we do.”
Some betting trends:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Lakers’ last 5 games and they are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games. The Lakers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 road games and the total has gone UNDER in 8 of the Lakers’ past 12 games against the Heat. The Lakers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games on the road against the Heat. The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the Lakers’ last 6 games on the road against the Heat and the Lakers are 1-5 SU in their last 6 road games against Miami.
Miami is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games and 0-5 ATS in those games as well. Miami is 16-6 SU in their last 22 at home and they are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games. Miami is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games at home and the total has gone UNDER in 8 of Miami’s last 12 games against the Lakers. Miami is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home against the Lakers and the total has gone UNDER in 5 of the last 6 home games against the Lakers.
Key Matchups:
Kobe Bryant vs. Dwyane Wade
Nothing is better than a matchup of 2 of the best 5 players in the league and the very best two at the shooting guard position. For all the Heat’s struggles it is hard to blame Wade. He’s putting up 26.5 points per game over the last 4 and scored 38 against Portland Tuesday night. Kobe recently made the declaration that he is still out to take it to opposing teams with fury. When asked about the Heat’s struggles, Kobe said “It takes a little adjusting, I guess,” Bryant said of LeBron and Dwyane Wade. “I don’t know, I’m still trying to kill people.” It won’t be easy for Bryant to “kill” Wade, as Wade’s strong offense and defense should give him an ample chance to compete with Bryant.
Lamar Odom / Pau Gasol / Andrew Bynum vs Chris Bosh / Zydrunas Ilgauskas / Erick Dampier
It doesn’t get much worse than this for most teams, and Miami is certainly going to struggle with the Lakers’ interior strength on both ends of the court. Keeping Odom, Gasol, and Bynum off the offensive glass should be a near impossibility for Ilgauskas and Dampier won’t have much better luck. Look for Pau Gasol to have a big game since Bosh probably won’t cover him the entire time. Bosh will likely match up with Odom when Odom is in the game and when it is Gasol and Bynum, he’ll cover Gasol.
The Heat have the Lakers beat on the perimeter and the Lakers have the Heat beat on the interior. Which will win out? NBA Oddsmakers have slightly favored the Lakers, and given the Heat’s struggles, it’s easy to see why they are underdogs tonight.
