The NBA season continues tonight in a bigtime television matchup as the Los Angeles Lakers travel to take on the Miami Heat. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tipoff and it will be televised nationally on TNT. Currently the odds have the Heat favored by 5.5 points with the total sitting at 191.5 points. The Lakers and Heat are two of the most liked and hated teams in the NBA and tonight' nationally televised event should be a good one.
Free Analysis: Before anyone makes a bet on tonight's game, they must realize that Dwyane Wade is sitting out again with that sprained knee. That can prove to be an important loss for the Heat tonight, for obvious reasons. It's also hard to believe that Kobe Bryant is 33 years old. But, as bettors we must realize that people do get beat up and stars do eventually age. Heat star LeBron James isn't old or beat up currently and tonight he'll have to give it a go without Wade in the contest. James did leave this morning's shoot-around with what was being called "stomach symptoms" but it's believed he's fine and will play tonight. If that's the case, this game will see the top two scorers in the NBA this season as Bryant averages 30.8 points per game, James at 29. That definitely will be where most of the eyes will be in tonight's contest, even though there are several other subplots going on. James will be facing his former Cleveland coach in the Lakers' Mike Brown and there are reports that Miami center Eddy Curry may make his Heat debut. Kobe has been a scoring machine lately, even more so than he normally is, coming off a stretch where he scored at least 40 points in four straight games. That ended in the team's loss to Dallas on Monday. There may be a reason this line is favoring the Heat by nearly 6 points, even without Wade playing. The Lakers have played 10 of their first 15 games at home this season, with one of those road games coming against the Clippers, who also play at Staples Center. The Lakers enter the game as one of the worst road teams in the league with just a 1-4 record. They also have been scoring less points this season, averaging just 93 per contest, which is good for just 19th in the league overall. On the other hand, the Heat are a very good home team and score a lot of points as well. In fact, Miami is the top scoring team in the league at more than 107 points per contest, beating up on opponents. LA might be able to have an inside edge in this contest with rebounding with the combination of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol dominating inside. However, the Heat will probably have something to say about that as Udonis Haslem is one of those guys that hits the glass hard. Sure, Kobe and LeBron are going to be able to score points in this game, but the question is which team will get those secondary points needed in order to win games. Bynum and Gasol are going to get points, so the Lakers might have not only an advantage inside, but also an advantage by keeping this game as a half-court style game, which is what the Lakers want. Miami can also play a half-court style of game but can take advantage in transition with their length and athleticism. Should be a quality game.
Free Pick: I would really like to back the Heat in this game, because it appears they are supposed to win by being favored by six points, but honestly I like Los Angeles. Sure, the Lakers haven't really played a lot of games on the road this season, but will that be offset by Wade not playing at all tonight? I think it might. I liked the duo of Gasol and Bynum inside and it's often tough to bet against a killer instinct guy like Bryant. Six points is two or three possessions, depending on the shot taken, and it looks as if the Lakers might be a good selection tonight.
Free Picks: Lakers at Heat Betting
Heat have covered 3 straight vs Lakers and Heat in the middle of 5-game home stand plus other factors NBA bettors need to know about Lakers at Heat (Thursday, January 19, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Bryan Leonard and analysis from host Marco D'Angelo.