The Miami Heat will try again to bounce the New York Knicks from the playoffs on Wednesday night as they hit the hardwood as big home favorites at the sportsbooks in Game 5 of their series.
New York cut Miami's first-round series lead to 3-1 in Game 4 on Sunday with a slim 89-87 home victory. Carmelo Anthony exploded for a game-high 41 points for the Knicks in that day's victory.
It's one of the bigger playoff point spreads you will see with the Knicks dogged by 11 points at Sportsbook and other online sportsbooks. New York is just 2-7 ATS since 1996 in playoff games where they are underdogs of 7.5 points or more.
The Knicks will try to spoil to the party on Wednesday; they are 36-30 ATS against the number this season, while the Heat are 32-34 ATS. New York is 27-39 on the totals; Miami is 25-39-2.
View New York vs Miami Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Sportsbooks have set the Heat as 11-point favorites on the Sportsbook line for this contest at Sportsbook. The total was listed at 183.5, but may be on the move.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new Power Rankings at Odds Shark, it's the No. 5-rated Heat and the No. 8-rated Knicks in this matchup. Predictive computer formulas point to a 102-99 win for the Heat on Wednesday.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Miami's No. 7-ranked offense (98.5 PPG) against a Knicks defense that ranks No. 11 at 94.7 PPG. The Heat have averaged 46.9% from the field per game, more than the Knicks have managed so far this season (44.3% on average).
Defensively, the Knicks feature the league's No. 12-rated defense on the road, allowing 96.8 points per game. Miami, meanwhile, comes in at No. 9 in the league in scoring at home.
The Heat were an 89-87 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Knicks. They failed to cover the 7.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (176) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Miami got 27 points from LeBron James en route to an 89-87 loss against New York on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
New York Knicks Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 2-8
Before playing Miami are 5-5
After playing Miami are 3-7
After a win are 5-5
Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing New York are 9-1
After playing New York are 8-2
After a loss are 7-3
A few Knicks at Heat trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 9 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami
New York is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Miami's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Miami's last 9 games when playing New York
Miami is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against New York
Miami is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games at home
Next up:
New York home to Miami, Friday, May 11
Miami at New York, Friday, May 11
