Pro Hoops on Thursday and we will see the Miami Heat travel to Los Angeles to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. The game is scheduled for a 10:30 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on TNT. Currently the odds for the game have the Lakers favored by 1.5 points while the total sits at 206.5. Check out Sportsbook Spy to see who the Public is taking on all of today's games.
Free Analysis: The Heat need a win tonight in order to finish their six-game road trip with a .500 record and improved to 2-3 on the jaunt with Thursday's 92-75 victory against the Golden State Warriors. LeBron James is fresh off becoming the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points as he 25 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday’s 92-75 victory over the Golden State Warriors. The superstar reached the milestone at 28 years, 17 days old. The previous fastest was Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, who did it at 29 years and 122 days. James also reached 5,000 career assists in the contest against the Warriors. In terms of games played, James reached 20,000 points in 726 regular-season contests, which is seventh-fastest. I the win over the Warriors Dwyane Wade contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Mario Chalmers added 15 points, Chris Bosh finished with 11 and Ray Allen added 10 for the Heat, who are 9-9 away from south Florida. Miami forward Shane Battier returned after missing two games with a hamstring injury and posted two rebounds in 10 minutes. The Heat, who sit sixth in the league with 102.1 ppg, will return home for two straight games, starting with next Wednesday's matchup with Toronto, and are 10 wins shy of 1,000 for the franchise.
Los Angeles has a modest two-game winning streak after losing its previous six contests. The Lakers won games over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks by a combined 36 points. The Lakers had a few days to rest following a 104-88 pummeling of the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. It was a coming out party for Dwight Howard, who registered 31 points and 16 rebounds. Kobe Bryant also scored 31 points and leads the NBA with 29.9 ppg. Bryant has scored 20-plus points in 22 straight games and reached the 30,000-point mark back in December. Tonight's matchup will be a tough one to miss with Bryant and James putting a combined 50,000-plus points to the forefront. The win over Milwaukee was also Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni's 400th in his career. Lakers starting forward Pau Gasol missed his fifth consecutive game with concussion symptoms and is questionable Thursday. Gasol is averaging 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds this season. The Lakers are 9-4 against Miami in games played at the Staples Center.
Free Pick: I like the Under in this one. This has not been a high scoring series of late as the last 4 between these teams have averaged just 179.8 ppg. The Heat come in playing excellent defense as they have allowed just 89.1 ppg in their last 7 games.On the road this year the Heat have allowed 98.2 ppg, but just 91.4 ppg in the first 5 games of this road trip, an that includes allowing just 75 points last night to a high scoring Golden State squad. Defense has been the focus of the Lakers of late and they have responded by allowing just 90.5 ppg in their last 2 games. Most of the Lakers defensive problems have been on the road, as they have allowed just 97.1 ppg at home on the year. This home games this year have averaged 199.3 ppg, while Miami road games have averaged 196.5 ppg. Let's also note that Miami's last 5 overall have averaged 188.2 ppg. I just do not expect this game to each 200 points, let alone 207.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Get more Free Picks from the Pregame Pros HERE.
Be sure and check out Pregame.tv every week for our videos that include handicapping tips, Webinars, analysis and Free Plays.
NBA Free Picks: Miami at LA Lakers (Best Bet)
What NBA bettors need to know about Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday (1/17/13) - a best bet from Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo, with Bryan Leonard and host Scott Spreitzer.