The Miami Heat (12-17 SU, 10-18-1 ATS) take on the Los Angeles Lakers (22-8 SU, 14-16 ATS) who have won eight of their last ten games but are missing some key pieces. The Heat, meanwhile, has lost three of their last four games heading into Saturday’s rematch of last season’s NBA Finals.
- Date/Time: February 20, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Staples Center
- TV Coverage: ABC
- Sportsbook Odds: Lakers -5 | O/U 214 (Line History)
- Heat vs Lakers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The game opened with the Lakers as favorites at -5 and the line has since shifted to either -3 or -3.5 depending on the sportsbook. The total opened at 214 and has moved down slightly to either 212.5 or 213 depending on where you look.
Miami News & Notes
Since Jimmy Butler re-entered the lineup on January 30 after missing ten games, the Heat have won six of eleven and have started to turn their season around slowly. Butler has appeared in only 17 of Miami’s 29 games this season and the team is 2-10 without him.
And while he is known more for his scoring prowess, Butler’s absence for large parts of the season has certainly hurt the team's defense. The Heat rank 28th in rebounding this season, 23rd in steals and 28th in blocks.
But things aren’t necessarily rosy for the team on the offensive side of the ball either. The Heat rank 27th with just 107.2 points per game this season and are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league.
It does not help that are still without guard Goran Dragic, who has missed seven straight games with an ankle injury.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Los Angeles Lakers have not had much trouble at either end of the court this season as they rank third in field goal percentage and are also one of the best rebounding teams in the league (eighth in total rebounds per game). But the injury bug threatens to knock the Lake Show off their pedestal as maybe the league’s premier team right now.
Star big man Anthony Davis will miss about four weeks with an Achilles injury and point guard Dennis Schroder will miss some time while in the league’s COVID-19 protocol. Davis was 25th in the league averaging 22.5 points per game along with 8.4 rebounds and 3 assists this season.
In Davis’ absence, LeBron James will likely take on an even bigger role. James is already twelfth in the league in points per game with 25.9 and averages 8.2 rebounds and 7.9 assists.
Betting Pick: UNDER 212.5
Losing Davis and Schroder is a huge blow to the Lakers' scoring ability and we already know about the Heat’s scoring woes this season. The UNDER feels like a safe bet and has actually hit in eight of the last eleven meetings between these teams.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- The Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games.
- The Lakers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 home games.
- Miami is 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games.
