The Miami Heat will finally return to action on Thursday night with an NBA betting matchup on the road against the Trail Blazers.
The smoking hot Heat haven't played in a week spanning the All-Star break and are small road favorites against Portland.
The Blazers are 6-2 ATS in their past 8 games against Miami and the OVER has been a great bet with 7 of the past 9 meetings climbing over the NBA total.
The Trail Blazers currently sport a record of 18-17, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 18-17 ATS. The Heat are 27-7 and 18-16 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Trail Blazers post a 16-19 OVER/UNDER record this season, while the Heat have gone 16-17-1 against the number.
View Miami vs Portland Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Oddsmakers opened the Trail Blazers as 4.5-point underdogs in this matchup at Sportsbook, while the OVER/UNDER line was sitting at 196 at shops such as Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark have the No. 4-rated Heat taking on the No. 9-rated Trail Blazers in this contest. Computer models indicate a possible 107-102 win for the Heat on Thursday.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Portland's No. 5-ranked offense, averaging 98.3 PPG, against a Heat defense that ranks No. 14 at 94.4 PPG. The Trail Blazers field goal percentage has averaged 44.6% so far, less than the Heat shooters have achieved on the year, 48.8% per game.
Defensively, the Heat feature the league's No. 18-rated defense on the road, allowing 96.8 points per game. Portland, meanwhile, comes in at No. 2 in the league in scoring at home.
The Heat were a 102-88 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Knicks. They covered the 10-point spread as favorites, while the total score (190) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. The Heat got a 25-point performance from Chris Bosh as Miami ran past New York 102-88 on Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
In their last action, Portland was a 104-95 loser on the road against the Nuggets. They failed to cover the 3-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (199) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Portland got 21 points from Jamal Crawford but lost anyway 104-95 against the Nuggets on Wednesday at Pepsi Center.
Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Utah are 6-4
After playing New York are 7-3
After a win are 9-1
Portland Trail Blazers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Minnesota are 5-5
After playing Denver are 3-7
After a loss are 8-2
A few Heat at Trail Blazers trends to consider:
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games when playing Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland's last 6 games when playing Miami
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Portland's last 8 games when playing at home against Miami
Portland is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Miami
Portland is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games at home
Next up:
Miami at Utah, Friday, March 2
Portland home to Minnesota, Saturday, March 3