3rd Game Of A Back-To-Back-To-Back For The Miami Heat
Feb 14th, 2012 by PJ LaFerla
The Miami Heat travel to Indiana to play their third game in three nights as they tip off against the Pacers at 7:05 eastern time. Currently, Oddsmakers have the Heat favored in this game at -1, with an over/under total of 198.
The Heat are in first place in the Southeast division, with an overall record of 22-7, however, against the spread, there is a significant dip as they only have managed fourteen covers in twenty nine games. On the road as favorite they are also below the .500 mark at 7-8. But this is where it gets bad for the Pacers – the Heat are hot, riding a three-game winning streak coming into this matchup also winning six of seven and four of five on the road. Wait, there’s more: they have beaten Indiana seven of their last eight games.
Though the Pacers are playing well (17-10 overall), Miami is in a zone right now and being the the third game of a back-to-back-to-back for the Heat should not matter as you can expect nothing short of a dominant team performance on both sides of the ball by Lebron, Dwayne and company.
With the Heat averaging just fewer than 104 points scored per game on offense and their stingy style of play on the defensive side of the ball, this will be a long night for the Pacers who have only mounted an average of 95 points per game scored this season, but against a team like the Heat they will struggle to crack 90 points.
This line represents a huge mistake by the Oddsmakers, as I believe Miami should be about a 4.5 to 5 point favorite in this matchup. I am sure they are taken into account their ATS road struggles and this being their third game in three nights, but the Heat are clicking on all cylinders and have their sights set on a trip to the NBA finals, stomping over all of their opponents in the process.
Make your play on the Miami Heat to cover the point-spread, as this game is a “Cigar Piece” (see betting terms glossary on the home page) and will have you cashing in a ticket and looking forward to a play on Wednesday evening.
PJ Laferla is a practicing freelance writer, professional handicapper, and the founder of SportsInput.com. If you are interested in hiring PJ Laferla for freelance writing or for winning picks against the spread, please submit all inquires to PJ@sportsinput.com.