Lakers Heat Betting Preview

The Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers will renew acquaintances on Thursday night, with the Heat looking to start up a new ATS winning streak against Kobe Bryant and company.

Miami was on a 7-0 ATS run against the Lakers until Los Angeles beat them 93-83 as a 2.5-point home underdog when they last met last March. That was the fourth straight UNDER result between the teams, with the OVER/UNDER at 3-7 over their past 10 meetings.


The Lakers sport records of 17-21 and 16-22 ATS heading into this matchup, while the Heat sit at 25-12 and 18-19 ATS on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 20-17-1 for the Lakers and 17-20 for the Heat. (Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news).

LeBron James became the youngest player to hit 20,000 points last night, we wonder if he partied last night and will be tired against Kobe?



View Miami vs LA Lakers Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Lakers were listed as 2-point favorites at sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark (including Sportsbook), with the total was listed at 210 over at Sportsbook earlier.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Lakers - Heat odds would favor the Heat if the lines were set according to power ranks. Los Angeles is rated No. 10 in our latest Odds Shark poll, while the Heat sit at No. 9. Math models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 106-103 win for the Heat.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Los Angeles's No. 4-ranked offense (103.4 PPG) against a Heat defense that ranks No. 14 at 96.8 PPG. The Lakers have averaged 45.6% from the field per game, less than the Heat have managed so far this season (48.8% on average).

Defensively, the Heat feature the league's No. 12-rated defense on the road, giving up 98.2 points per game. Los Angeles, meanwhile, comes in at No. 9 in the league in scoring at home.

Miami was a 92-75 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Warriors. They covered the 4.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 167 sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. LeBron James scored 25 points and chipped in with 10 assists for Miami on Wednesday, leading the Heat to a 92-75 victory over Golden State at Oracle Arena.

Los Angeles won its last outing, a 104-88 result against the Bucks on January 15. The Lakers covered in that game as a 6-point favorite, while the 192 combined points took the game UNDER the total. The Lakers got a 31-point performance from Kobe Bryant as Los Angeles handed Milwaukee a 104-88 defeat on Tuesday at STAPLES Center.


Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Toronto are 6-4
After playing Golden State are 8-2
After a win are 6-4

Los Angeles Lakers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Toronto are 5-5
After playing Milwaukee are 5-5
After a win are 5-5



A few Heat at Lakers trends to consider:
Miami is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 7 games
Miami is 6-12 ATS in their last 18 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
LA Lakers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Lakers last 5 games when playing Miami
LA Lakers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games when playing at home against Miami
LA Lakers are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games


Next up:
Miami home to Toronto, Wednesday, January 23
LA Lakers at Toronto, Sunday, January 20

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