Jeremy Lin will face LeBron James on Thursday night as the Heat host the Knicks in a marquee NBA betting matchup in Miami.
Miami has dominated New York in recent seasons, going 8-2 straight up against them over their past 10 meetings. The Knicks, though, covered the spread in each of their past four matchups.
View New York vs Miami Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
The Knicks were listed as 10-point underdogs at many online sportsbooks, with the total listed at 199.5 over at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
It's a betting matchup between the No. 4-rated Heat and the No. 17-ranked Knicks, according to the NBA Power Rankings here at Odds Shark. Predictive-scoring formulas run on this game indicate a potential 106-99 result in favor of the Heat.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Miami's No. 1-ranked offense (103.8 PPG) against a Knicks defense that ranks No. 12 at 93.8 PPG. The Heat have averaged 48.8% from the field per game, more than the Knicks have managed so far this season (43.3% on average).
Defensively, the Knicks feature the league's No. 7-rated defense on the road, allowing 92.7 points per game. Miami, meanwhile, comes in at No. 3 in the league in scoring at home.
Last time out for New York, they were a 99-82 Sportsbook as they battled the Hawks at home. The Knicks covered in the match as a 7-point favorite, while 181 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Knicks grabbed a 99-82 win over the Hawks on Wednesday, behind a 17-point effort from Jeremy Lin at Madison Square Garden.
In their last action, Miami was a 120-108 Sportsbook at home against the Kings. They failed to cover the 13.5-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (228) was profitable news for OVER bettors. The Kings were burned for 30 points by Dwyane Wade on Tuesday as the Heat picked up a 120-108 win at AmericanAirlines Arena.
New York Knicks Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Cleveland are 5-5
After playing Atlanta are 7-3
After a win are 6-4
Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Portland are 4-6
After playing Sacramento are 1-9
After a win are 8-2
A few Knicks at Heat trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of New York's last 12 games on the road
New York is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing Miami
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Miami is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against New York
Miami is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing New York
Next up:
New York home to Cleveland, Wednesday, February 29
Miami at Portland, Thursday, March 1
