Miami Heat (20-18) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (16-21)
January 4, 2023 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: Los Angeles Lakers +4.5; Over/Under: -
(Get latest betting odds)
The Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers duke it out at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night.
The Miami Heat have been in great shape as they’ve won eight of their last 11 games overall and they will be aiming for a third straight victory after beating the Clippers in a 110-100 road win on Monday. Bam Adebayo led the team with 31 points and 13 rebounds on 12 of 19 shooting, Tyler Herro added 23 points with seven rebounds and three assists while Victor Oladipo chipped in with 15 points off the bench. As a team, the Heat shot 45 percent from the field and 12 of 36 from the 3-point line as they squandered an early 21-point lead, before they regrouped and held the Clippers to just 17 points in the fourth quarter to escape with the gritty win.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have been in decent shape as they’ve won three of their past four games and they will be aiming for a third straight victory after sneaking past the Hornets in a 121-115 road win on Monday. LeBron James led the team with 43 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Thomas Bryant added 18 points with 15 rebounds while Dennis Schroder and Austin Reaves scored 15 points apiece. As a team, the Lakers shot 48 percent from the field and 10 of 30 from the 3-point line as they took control of the contest with a 38-point second quarter, before they held off a late charge from the Hornets who exploded for 39 points in the fourth quarter to make it interesting late.
Looking at the betting trends, the Heat are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five road games, 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Lakers are 7-19-1 ATS in their last 27 games against a team with a winning record and 20-43-1 ATS in their last 64 games following a win.
Head to head, the under is 11-4 in the last 15 meetings in Los Angeles and the Heat are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings overall.
The Heat are keeping an eye on Dewayne Dedmon and Duncan Robinson who are both questionable, while the Lakers have listed Lonnie Walker and LeBron James as questionable. The Heat have managed to keep their heads above water despite dealing with injuries on a nightly basis and they look great in their win over the Clippers on Monday, while the Lakers are building a bit of momentum with three wins in their past four games and LeBron looks like he’s turning back the clock again. I’m tempted to go with the Lakers as I’m sure LeBron will be up to play against his former team, but the Heat have been the more consistent team all season and they look like the play at the short line.
