NBA Betting Preview: Toronto Raptors vs. Miami Heat

Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat
Sunday, 2/5/12, 1:00 PM EST, TV:  SUN
Opening Point Spread:  Miami -16.5
Current Betting Line:  Miami -16.5
Opening Total:  190
Current Total:  188.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Miami Heat swept all four meetings with the Toronto Raptors during the 2010-11 season

Toronto heads out on the road to face Miami and Washington in back-to-back games beginning Sunday afternoon at American Airlines Arena.  The Raptors ahve split their last four games and come off a dominating 106-89 win over the Wizards as 4.5-point home favorites, while going “over” the total for the first time in five games.  A calf injury to star Andrea Bargnani will play a big role in this contest with him being out of the lineup, as he averaged 29.3 points in three meetings with the Heat a year ago.  Toronto is 8-7 ATS on the road this year.

The Raptors were certainly led by their bench in scoring a season-high 68 points in Friday’s game, with guard Leonardo Barbosa scoring a team-high 19 points.  Toronto can match last season’s road win total with a victory on Sunday, as the franchise is tied with Indiana and Chicago for the most games played on the road (15).  Forward DeMar DeRozan leads the active roster in scoring 14.0 points per game, but is shooting just 35.3 percent from the field in 15 road games.

Miami returns home after splitting a two-game road trip against Milwaukee and Philadelphia, closing out the set with a 99-79 win over the 76ers as two-point road favorites.  The Heat are 10-2 at home this season, including a 7-2 mark versus Eastern Conference foes inside Sunday’s venue.  Star guard Dwyane Wade will likely play a big role in the outcome of this game, averaging 32.1 points in his last eight contests versus the Raptors.  Miami is 5-8 ATS as a home favorite of 12.5 to 18 points over the last two-plus campaigns.

The Heat have received tremendous production from forward LeBron James, who is averaging 29.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.  Miami swept the season series versus Toronto a year ago, including a 97-79 victory in the last meeting as five-point road underdogs on April 13, 2011.  Offensively, the team is averaging 105.3 points per game at home, which is one of the league’s best marks in that statistical category.

Bettors will likely back the Heat due to their 5-2 ATS mark versus Atlantic division opponents, while the Raptors are 1-4 ATS following a straight-up win.

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