The Oklahoma City Thunder have opened as home favorites at the sportsbooks for Tuesday night as they play host to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the first game of the 2012 NBA Finals.
The Heat won the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games against the Boston Celtics, taking Game 7 by a 101-88 score on Saturday. The Thunder paid off on the series lines in the Western Conference Finals with a six-game victory over the San Antonio Spurs. [ Heat vs Thunder props and bonuses ]
The Thunder sport records of 47-19 and 35-31 ATS heading into this matchup, while the Heat sit at 46-20 and 32-34 ATS on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 31-35 for the Thunder and 25-39-2 for the Heat.
View Miami vs Oklahoma City Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Sportsbooks have set the Thunder as 4.5-point favorites on the Sportsbook line for this contest at Sportsbook The total was listed at 192.5, but may be on the move after some action at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 2 (Thunder) and the No. 5 (Heat) teams in the league, according to our current NBA Power Rankings at Odds Shark. A 106-104 result in favor of the Thunder is predicted by handicapping models.
How They Match Up:
In rebounding, the battle of the boards features Oklahoma City's No. 6-rated squad against Miami's No. 21-rated roster. When it comes to long-range shooting, Oklahoma City rates No. 12 in the league with 7.2 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 20 with 5.6 per outing.
In comparing how the teams stack up statistically, the Heat own the league's No. 10-rated mark, allowing 95.5 points per game when on the road. Oklahoma City, on the other hand, rates No. 1 in home scoring.
Last time out for Miami, they were a 101-88 Sportsbook as they battled the Celtics at home. The Heat covered in the match as an 8-point favorite, while 189 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. The Celtics were burned for 31 points by LeBron James on Saturday as the Heat picked up a 101-88 win at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Oklahoma City are 7-3
After playing Boston are 5-5
After a win are 7-3
Oklahoma City Thunder Trends:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Miami are 4-6
After playing San Antonio are 7-3
After a win are 8-2
A few Heat at Thunder trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Miami's last 9 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing Miami
Next up:
Miami at Oklahoma City, Thursday, June 14
Oklahoma City home to Miami, Thursday, June 14
