NBA Predictions: Miami Heat vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Miami Heat at Portland Trail Blazers
Thursday, 3/1/12, 10:30 PM EST, TV: TNT
Opening Point Spread: Miami -4.5
Current Betting Line: Miami -4.5
Opening Total: 196
Current Total: 197.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Heat Celtics NBA Game Preview — The Miami Heat will play their first game after the All-Star break on Thursday night

Miami embarks on a three-game road trip after enjoying the All-Star break and will look to push its current win streak to nine games. The Heat are always a lightning rod for controversy and star forward LeBron James came under fire after failing to take a shot in the fourth quarter in the East falling to the West in Orlando. “It’s an All-Star game. I mean, come on,” commented Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. The franchise is 12-5 on the road this year, but just 2-3 versus Western Conference opponents. Miami is 13-5 ATS as a road favorite of 3.5 to 6 points the last two-plus years.

The Heat will be matching up with the Blazers only once this season, as the two teams split their 2010-11 series. Miami is 14-32 against Portland, including a 9-14 mark when playing on the road. During its current eight-game win streak, the team has won each of those contests by a double-digit margin. Offensively, the squad has managed to score at least 100 points in seven of its last eight games. A victory in this affair would give the franchise its best 35-game start in its history.

Portland has alternated wins and losses in its last seven games, dropping a 104-95 decision to the Denver Nuggets as three-point road underdogs last night. “We just got outworked. Right from the start,” commented Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan. The Blazers have won six of the past eight games between the two teams, but both of those losses occurred at the Rose Garden. There’s no question that the squad will need to get after it defensively, allowing tonight’s opponent to shoot 54.3 percent from the field in two games this year. Portland is 5-7 ATS in back-to-back games this season.

The Blazers will lean heavily on LaMarcus Aldridge, who is third among Western Conference forward in averaging 22.3 points per game. Portland has sold out tonight’s venue in 177 straight games, which should provide a great home court advantage for this marquee matchup. The team is the only one in the NBA with two different players that rank in the top 15 in the league in scoring off the bench, with Jamal Crawford and Nicolas Batum averaging 14.1 and 12.2 points respectively.