The NBA Playoffs continue Tuesday night in Game 5 between the visiting Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat. The NBA Playoff odds for the game have the Heat favored by 6.5 points. The game is scheduled for a 8:00 pm start time and it will be televised live on TNT. The spread shows that bookmakers have a prediction of a comfortable win for the Heat.
Picks: Game 4 of this series saw LeBron James show up and dominate the way he is supposed to. It was big for the Miami Heat and exactly on time. The performance allowed the Heat to even the series at 2-2 and allow them to come back in Game 5 without having to face a must-win situation. The 40 point, 18 rebound and nine assist game for James was the first time those types of numbers have been put up in the playoffs since Elgin Baylor in 1961. Now the home court advantage rests with the Heat, who will host the Pacers tonight in the ever pivotal fifth game. The Pacers lost by 35 points in Miami back in January, but have been outscored by a total of just eight points in three games there since that beat-down. The Heat are going to continue playing without Chris Bosh, who is still rehabbing his strained abdominal muscle. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said it's "too early to tell" if Bosh could return later in this series. Dwyane Wade and James have obviously proven they are going to pick up the offensive slack with Bosh on the shelf. At one point during Game 4 the duo scored 38 consecutive Miami points. Wade also showed up huge after his Game 3 collapse with 30 points. Indiana's Danny Granger has received technical fouls in three straight games and Pacers reserve guard Lance Stephenson got to the the Heat by making choking signs that were shown by television cameras during Game 3. Not smart. Roy Hibbert is going to be the reason the Pacers win this game, if they can. He's the biggest guy on the floor and needs to continue pounding the Heat inside. However, both he and forward David West have battled with some foul trouble. Also worth noting is the fact the Pacers gave up just nine 30-point performances all season, as they are a great defensive team. However, both Wade and James poured in 30+ in Game 4. Yet, it took massive performances from both stars for the Heat to win by only eight points. Could they put up numbers like that tonight? Yes, but it's not likely.
Predictions: The Pacers play too much defense and have already won on Miami's home floor in this series. To be able to scoop up three possessions is a good thing for us, so we'll back the underdog here. Hibbert and West could be monsters inside for the Pacers in tonight's game and I think they will have to be in order for Indiana to win the game. It's tough to expect both James and Wade to have impressive games the way they did in Game 4. However, it is a pivotal game that very well could determine who wins the series. I think the Pacers keep it close with that great defense. However, I think the Heat take care of business tonight. Heat 90, Pacers 85
$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Betting Strategies: Handicapping NBA PlayoffsHost Marco D'Angelo and Pregame Pro Vegas Runner discuss their strategies about betting the NBA Playoffs and being successful.