The New York Knicks are underdogs at the sportsbooks for Saturday afternoon as they open their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on the road against LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

New York comes in hot, Sportsbooks of 18 of 24 while the banged-up Heat look to get it together for a title run.

The Heat sport records of 46-20 and 32-34 ATS heading into this matchup, while the Knicks sit at 36-30 and 36-30 ATS on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 25-39-2 for the Heat and 27-39 for the Knicks.



View New York vs Miami Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 8-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark, including Sportsbook while the total was hovering around 187 at most shops.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Heat at No. 4 and the Knicks at No. 11 heading into this contest. Handicapping models run by the computers at Odds Shark project a 102-99 result in favor of the Heat.



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).

In comparing how the teams stack up statistically, the Knicks own the league's No. 12-rated mark, allowing 96.8 points per game when on the road. Miami, on the other hand, rates No. 9 in home scoring.

The Knicks were a 104-84 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Bobcats. They covered the 5.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (188) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Charlotte was run off the court by the Knicks on Thursday as New York blasted the Bobcats 104-84 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

In their last action, Miami was a 104-70 loser on the road against the Wizards. They failed to cover the 7.5-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (174) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Miami was crushed on Thursday, getting run out of the gym by Washington and falling 104-70 at Verizon Center.


New York Knicks Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 3-7
Before playing Miami are 6-4
After playing Charlotte are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
Before playing New York are 8-2
After playing Washington are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4

A few Knicks at Heat trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 5 games when playing Miami
New York is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games when playing New York
Miami is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games at home


Next up:
New York at Miami, Monday, April 30
Miami home to New York, Monday, April 30