Game 1 of the first-ever NBA Finals meeting between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat tips off, Wednesday, at 9 p.m. ET in the Orlando bubble.
LeBron James is making his ninth Finals appearance in 10 years, and 10th overall, against his former team. The 2019-20 Miami Heat is yet another masterful creation from all-time NBA legend Pat Riley.
Piece-by-piece the Heat were assembled via free agency, drafting and trade deadline acquisitions and armed Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra with the arsenal he needs to take down LeBron and co.
Series Price: Lakers (-358) | Heat (+300)
BetMGM Sportsbook has NBA odds and NBA props for all NBA games, so we’re bringing you locks throughout the NBA playoffs.
Heat +4.5 (-110) vs. Lakers
There’s been an accurate narrative over this century about the Western Conference being superior to the Eastern Conference, which has been reinforced upon LeBron’s arrival in 2018. However, that narrative is going to be challenged in these NBA Finals as it should.
Miami is playing like the perfect 2020 team. They have the fourth-highest three-point percentage and hold opponents to the fifth-lowest three-point percentage (both ahead of the Lakers). Plus the Heat has the highest free throw attempt rate in the NBA during the regular season and is ranked second in these playoffs.
The Lakers struggled in their first two Game 1s this postseason because they used that game to assess their opponents and adjust. They ended a back-to-back Game 1 losing streak by rolling the Denver Nuggets in the opening game of the Western Conference Finals. My read on that is the Nuggets have more of a straightforward team rotation that the Lakers don’t need to adjust much too.
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The Heat’s versatility and a bevy of scoring options are going to pose a threat to Los Angeles. All they need are two players from the crop of Jae Crowder, Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic and Duncan Robinson to get hot from three and they’ll be in games.
Also, this is your standard Pros vs. Joes matchup in betting markets. The Lakers with LeBron James are the definition of a public team yet on 53% of the money and 54% of the bets are on Los Angeles, according to pregame.com. Furthermore, Los Angeles opened as 5.5-point favorites, but big bets on Miami has taken it down to 4.5. The only explanation for this movement is that sharp money is on the Heat and public money is on the Lakers. We are following the sharp money.
I LIKE Miami to pull off an upset and “LOVE” HEAT +4.5 (-110). New to sports betting? A $110 bet on the Heat +4.5 (-110) pays a $100 profit if Miami wins outright … or loses by four or fewer points.
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