Lakers vs Heat Picks & Odds: Miami The Favorite With Davis Out For LA

The Miami Heat (17-17 SU, 11-21-2 ATS) welcome the Los Angeles Lakers (14-20, 13-20-1) to FTX Arena on Wednesday as the clubs meet for the first time this season. Los Angeles enters the contest with one win in its last five games – can the visitors get hot in Miami? Find out in our Lakers vs Heat prediction.

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Lakers vs Heat Sportsbook Odds 

The Heat opened as the 6.5-point favorite at home with the total set at 224 points. The OVER is 4-2 in the last six meetings between the two teams while Miami is 12-5 in its last 17 home games vs Los Angeles, giving the hosts a clear advantage in our Lakers vs Heat prediction. 

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Lakers Break Out of Slump With Big Win Over Magic

The Lakers snapped a four-game skid on Monday as they routed the Orlando Magic 129-110. LeBron James led the way with 28 points while Thomas Bryant (21 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double and Russell Westbrook (15 points, 13 assists, 13 rebounds) posted a triple-double. Markelle Fultz led Orlando with just 16 points in the loss.

It was a strong defensive effort for the Lakers, who had averaged more than 130 points against over their four-game losing streak. With Anthony Davis sidelined for about two weeks with a stress fracture in his foot, Los Angeles will need to find a way to ramp up defensively to make up for the loss of the team’s second-leading scorer.

Undermanned Heat Beat Timberwolves

The Heat picked up a win in their first game after Christmas, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-110 on Monday. Max Strus led Miami with just 19 points while four others finished in double digits. Anthony Edwards had 29 to top Minnesota in a losing effort.

Miami has been a banged-up team as two of the club’s top players, Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Bam Adebayo (illness), missed Monday’s game. Butler has been dealing with a lingering ankle issue and is questionable to return to the lineup on Wednesday, while Adebayo is also listed as a question mark. With Dewayne Dedmon, Miami’s second option at center, ruled out, the Heat could suffer in the frontcourt unless Adebayo is good to go.

Lakers: Keys To Win

With Davis still out, Los Angeles is missing a key piece at both ends of the court and the Lakers will need a lot to go right if they’re going to win. James will likely need to turn in a heroic performance, while Westbrook will need to bring the same all-around effort he displayed last time out. On top of that, the defense is going to have to keep up the intensity, though they’ll like their matchup against the Heat’s 30th-ranked offense. 

Heat: Keys To Win

With Butler and potentially Adebayo sidelined, the Heat will need some other key players to step forward and make up the difference. That starts with Tyler Herro, who is leading the team with 24.3 points per game in December. Herro went off for 35 and 41 points in back-to-back contests earlier this month – we may need to see another performance like that if the Heat are going to take this one.

NBA Computer Pick: Heat -8

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