Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks
Thursday, 12/20/12, 9:30 PM EST, TV: TNT
Opening Point Spread: Miami -5
Current Betting Line: Miami -5.5
Opening Total: 203
Current Total: 201.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Miami has won and covered the spread in four of its last five games, including a 103-92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves as 8.5-point home favorites Tuesday night, while going UNDER the total for a fourth consecutive time. “We’re getting better every night,” commented Heat forward LeBron James. He has scored at least 20 points in the first 22 games this season—a streak that should continue due to averaging 30.4 points in his last seven regular-season games against the Mavericks. Miami is 4-2 ATS after playing three consecutive home games this season, with the UNDER going 5-1 in that situation.
The Heat are just 4-4 on the road this season, including a 3-2 mark versus Western Conference opponents, which can’t be ignored when making your pro basketball picks tonight. Miami should have no problem scoring the basketball in this matchup, considering Dallas has held just one opponent to under 90 points this season. The franchise has also compiled an impressive 24-4 record in its last 28 games in the month of December.
Dallas snapped its three-game losing streak by earning a 107-100 win over the Philadelphia 76ers as six-point home favorites, while going OVER the total for the fifth time in six contests. The Mavericks continue to be led by guard O.J. Mayo and center Chris Kaman, as they scored 26 and 20 points respectively on Tuesday. The team is 8-3 at home this season, including a perfect 6-0 mark versus Eastern Conference foes, which could make it a dangerous home underdog when looking over the pro basketball odds page.
The Mavericks have taken 17 of the last 20 regular-season meetings between these two teams, but they’ll be playing without Dirk Nowitzki, who continues to rehab a knee injury. Dallas has gone 20-1 in its last 21 games when shooting 50-plus percent from the floor, but it will be a hard number to achieve versus the defending NBA champions.
Sports bettors will likely back the Heat due to their 2-0 ATS mark on the road when the total is between 200 and 204.5, while the Mavericks are 4-11 ATS when playing at home within that point range.
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