Lakers at Heat Odds
It was supposed to be Kobe vs. LeBron last year in the NBA Finals, except the Dallas Mavericks didn’t get the message. The best we can hope for at this point is to have a highlight regular-season meeting in South Beach Thursday night, as two star-studded teams emphasizing opposite ends of the floor collide. The latest NBA odds show the Heat favored by 5.5 points, while the total has been posted at 191.
Los Angeles Lakers @ Miami Heat, 8 p.m. EST
When the Lakers hired Mike Brown as their head coach during the summer, it was expected that the team would improve itself defensively, and it has parlayed that into six wins in the last seven games following a 73-70 home win over Dallas Monday night to rank fifth in the NBA in scoring defense (fewer than 90 points per game) and tops in rebounding (46 rpg). Kobe Bryant is still leading the way (30.8 ppg, 5.5 apg) and is supported by Pau Gasol (15.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg) and Andrew Bynum (16.5 ppg, 13.9 rpg), but it has been their defensive intensity that has propelled the Lakers to the top of the Pacific Division after a pedestrian 4-4 start.
Meanwhile, the Heat’s own Big Three – LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh – has been running teams off the floor, as Miami leads the league in scoring (107 ppg), but ranks in the bottom-five of defense (99 ppg). After running to an 8-1 start, Miami lost three straight before pounding San Antonio 120-98 Tuesday night at home. Wade has been day-to-day the last several games, which may affect the Heat’s ability to defend Bryant.
The Lakers are 1-4 on the road this year, while Miami is 4-1 at home. The star power alone will make this game entertaining, but in a regular-season game with a compressed schedule, the team that can dictate tempo will likely be the winner. The Lakers are in a good defensive groove right now, and that may very well be just enough to help the Lakers win and keep their positive momentum going.
Final Score Prediction: Lakers 94, Heat 92
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