Miami Heat at New York Knicks
Friday, 12/17/10, 7:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Miami -4.5
Current Betting Line: Miami -5
Opening Total: 209
Current Total: 209.5
Miami is coming off a less than enthusiastic 101-95 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and moved its winning streak to 10 in the process. The Heat were able to overcome in early double-digit deficit, but head coach Erik Spoelstra was less than pleased with the team’s performance. “If we’re true to ourselves, we could have played a more consistent game,” he commented. The club has a 19-8 overall record and has posted a 7-5 mark on the road. If the Heat win tonight, it will be their sixth consecutive road win, tying the streak with the fourth-longest in franchise history. Miami is 4-0 ATS as a road favorite of 5.0 to 10.5 points and are currently a five-point favorite on the NBA lines page.
The Heat have recorded nine wins so far in the month of December, already surpassing last year’s total of seven victories. Miami has also enjoyed dominance on the boards over the past six games by out-rebounding opponents by a 278-218 margin. The two teams will be meeting for the first of four matchups on Friday night and Miami swept the season series 3-0 last year. In fact, the Heat have won the last five meetings between the two clubs, but are still 37-53 all-time versus the Knicks in the regular season, including a 15-31 mark in games played in New York.
New York had its eight-game winning streak snapped in dramatic fashion by dropping a 118-116 home game to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. The Knicks may have lost the game, but many NBA experts believe the club has gained the respect of the league and Boston in particular after the losing effort. “I guarantee you that Boston respects us,” said forward Amare Stoudemire. “We’re no slouches. We are going to play every single night until the horn goes off.” He finished with 39 points and 10 rebounds, while remaining high on everyone’s list for league MVP. New york is 5-1 ATS as an underdog of 5.0 to 10.5 points.
The Knicks will be finishing up a three-game homestand when they host the Heat and will be playing the front-end of the club’s ninth back-to-back set. New York is 4-4 in the first game with four sweeps. Expect Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler to play a major part in tonight’s outcome, as they averaged 22.3 and 18 points respectively in the two meetings against Miami last season. Defensively, the squad will need to keep close watch on Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who averaged 29.3 points in the series last year.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Heat are 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings, while the Knicks are 15-5-1 ATS as an underdog.
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