Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder
Sunday, 1/30/11, 1:00 PM EDT, TV: ABC
Miami is coming off a come-from-behind 88-87 home victory over the Detroit Pistons without the services of forward Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. The Heat were led by the amazing exploits of star LeBron James, but even he knows he can’t do it alone. “Health is No. 1,” James said. “We know we have to be healthy.” The team doesn’t usually have injured players go on single-game road trips, which seems to be a signal that both Bosh and Wade will return to the lineup on Sunday. Miami has a solid 32-14 overall record, including an 11-7 mark versus the Western Conference. Through the first 23 road games, the squad has garnered a 13-10 ATS mark and bettors will need to watch the NBA lines page throughout the day.
The Heat and the Thunder meet for the first of two match-ups this season. Last season, Miami lost the season series, 0-2, after sweeping the series the year prior. Miami has won seven of the last 10 overall contests the two franchises have played. The “Big Three” have been banged up over the last few weeks, but the team has received a shot in the arm due to Mike Miller’s play from the perimeter. In his two starts, both double-doubles, Miller has averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat have found considerable success on the road this season, tying for an NBA-best 15 wins thus far, but have lost four straight away from South Beach.
Oklahoma City has strung together a two-game winning streak entering today’s contests , with both games being won in overtime over Minnesota and Washington. The Thunder certainly know that the level of competition will be raised in this matchup, especially due to a national television audience. “We’re going against a great team in Miami,” Thunder forward Jeff Green stated. “We’re going to have our work cut out for us, so we’re going to have to bring our A-game.” The squad is a solid 17-6 overall at home on the season, including a dominating 8-1 mark against Eastern Conference opponents. Oklahoma City is 16-6 ATS versus the Southeast division over the last three years.
The Thunder will look to capture a seventh consecutive home victory this afternoon and will ultimately lean heavily on star Kevin Durant, who will be looking to hit the 40-point scoring plateau for the third consecutive game for the first time in his career. Sunday’s contest features a battle of the two highest scoring duos in the league, with Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook combining for 51.5 points per game, which is slightly higher than James and Wade of the Heat. “I know I’ve grown as a player,” Durant commented. “I don’t need anybody else to stamp that for me. I’ve just got to continue to keep pushing and play within the team.”
Bettors will be highly interested in playing the Heat due to the road team being 9-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings, while the Thunder are 1-5 ATS overall.
