Dwyane Wade introduced himself to the NBA Finals in Game 4, which could spell the end of the series for the San Antonio Spurs heading towards Game 5.
Wade had been lame for most of the playoffs but erupted in Game 4, justifying the betting public's faith in Miami. The Spurs had opened as favorites after a Game 3 rout, but the Heat moved into chalk status during the day Thursday.
For Game 5, Miami was hovering around 1-point chalk at most sportsbooks who provide NBA finals odds to OddsShark.com.
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San Antonio battles the Heat, currently with a 66-16 mark (46-36 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, important for totals bettors, are 36-45-1 for the Spurs and 43-39 for the Heat.
View Miami vs San Antonio Odds and Stats.
NBA Finals Odds: San Antonio opened as small 1-point home underdogs for Game 5, according to Sportsbook. The total was nestled around 187.5 over at Sportsbook, which offers a special half-point on your favorite NBA teams.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Spurs sit at No. 3 in the current NBA Power Rankings here at Odds Shark, while the Heat are at No. 6 on that chart. Math models have concluded that the Heat will win this game 107-106.
How They Match Up:
In rebounding, the battle of the boards features San Antonio's No. 21-rated squad against Miami's No. 30-rated roster. When it comes to long-range shooting, San Antonio rates No. 7 in the league with 8.1 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 3 with 8.7 per outing.
Defensively, the Heat feature the league's No. 3-rated defense on the road, giving up 94.4 points per game. San Antonio, meanwhile, comes in at No. 5 in the league in scoring at home.
Miami was a 109-93 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Spurs. They covered the 1-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 202 sent OVER bettors to the payout window. The Heat got a 33-point performance from LeBron James as Miami handed San Antonio a 109-93 defeat on Thursday at AT&T Center.
Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 6-4
Before playing San Antonio are 6-4
After playing San Antonio are 4-6
After a win are 4-6
San Antonio Spurs Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 9-1
Before playing Miami are 9-1
After playing Miami are 5-5
After a loss are 7-3
A few Heat at Spurs trends to consider:
Miami is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games on the road
Miami is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
Miami is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio's last 5 games at home
San Antonio is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Miami
San Antonio is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games at home
San Antonio is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
Next up:
Miami home to San Antonio, Tuesday, June 18
San Antonio at Miami, Tuesday, June 18
