The Heat made a strong statement in their Christmas Day
dismantling of the L.A. Lakers. Will they avoid a letdown against a hungry
Knicks team on Tuesday?
It was certainly a merry Christmas for Miami as they
thoroughly outplayed the reigning world champions for a 96-80 road win. As
anticipated, Dwyane Wade returned to the starting lineup, though he did shoot
just 6-of-17 from the floor for 18 points.
LeBron James and Chris Bosh were the two members of the Heat
who dominated proceedings. LeBron was phenomenal, accounting for 27 points, 11
rebounds, 10 assists and four steals. Bosh had 24 points and 13 rebounds in the
momentous victory in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile the up-and-coming Knicks have won two straight
(defeating Chicago and Oklahoma City) following a three-game skid.
Like Miami, New York also covered on Christmas Day with a
superb 103-95 win over the Bulls. All five Knicks starters scored at least 14
points, with Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton sharing the team-lead with 20
points each.
Heat odds-on favorites in Tuesday NBA action
New York Knicks has surprised many people with how well they've
been playing this season, and you can tell they have exceeded expectations
simply by looking at their 20-9-1 ATS record.
NBA betting oddsmakers have obviously been undervaluing the Knicks, but
will it continue now that they've emerged as a legitimate contender?
Mike D'Antoni's troop has covered in nine of the last 10
road games its played, and are a brilliant 16-5 ATS in the team's last 21
contests overall.
The Heat have been just as good, going 11-3 ATS in their
previous 14 games. They are however just 4-10 versus the spread in their last
14 games in Miami.
Keep checking the above graphic for updated lines leading up
to tipoff. Also be sure to head on over to SBRodds.com for live NBA odds and
betting trends!
Can Amar'e carry the Knicks on his back yet again?
When these two squads met just over 10 days ago, the Miami Heat
completely dominated and left the Big Apple with the 113-91 win. LeBron had a
triple-double in that game, and who's going to be able to stop him from a
similar boxscore in Tuesday's rematch?
The King seems to love playing the Knicks, as evident by
averages of 34.0 points, 8.0 assists and 7.7 rebounds in three games versus New
York in the 2009-10 season.
In addition, D-Wade and Bosh have had success against
D'Antoni's squad recently, averaging 29.3 and 22.5 points respectively against
their Eastern Conference foes last season.
New York has not covered versus Miami in the last five
meetings, and I just don't see that trend changing here on Tuesday.
The Heat are on an unbelievable run and should be feeling
extremely good about themselves after that
confident performance versus the Lakers. Roll with Miami to cover at
home.
FREE NBA Pick: Heat and OVER
Live NBA betting odds will be released one made public by the sportsbooks.