The Los Angeles Lakers (14-20) square off against the Miami Heat (17-17) Wednesday at FTX Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV).
The Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 129-110 Tuesday to cover as 2.5-point road underdogs. That win snapped a 4-game losing skid.
The Heat secured a 113-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday to cover as 1-point favorites at home. Miami is playing its 4th straight home game but is just 1-2 in the previous 3.
- Moneyline (ML): Lakers +270 (bet $100 to win $270) | Heat -330 (bet $330 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Lakers +7.5 (-102) | Heat -7.5 (-118)
- Over/Under (O/U): 223.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Lakers at Heat key injuries
Lakers
- Not yet submitted
Heat
- C Bam Adebayo (shoulder) questionable
- F Jimmy Butler (ankle) questionable
- F Caleb Martin (ankle) probable
- G Gabe Vincent (knee) questionable
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Lakers at Heat picks and predictions
Prediction
Heat 116, Lakers 109
Moneyline
Because the Heat (-330) are such heavy favorites, I’ll PASS on the moneyline. Taking Miami to win straight up isn’t advised considering the current odds to secure the victory.
Against the spread
Assuming that F LeBron James is active on the 2nd leg of the back-to-back set LAKERS +7.5 (-102) is an enticing bet in this game. If James is ruled out, then I’ll be siding with the Heat to cover the spread as Los Angeles struggles when he’s not on the court.
The Heat are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 home games against a team with a losing road record.
Over/Under
OVER 223.5 (-110) is also an intriguing wager if James suits up for the Lakers. Los Angeles has scored 115 or more points in 4 straight games, so we’ll just need Miami to contribute a decent amount of points at home to hit the Over.
The Lakers have hit the Over in 5 straight games and in each of their last 4 games playing on 0 days of rest.