NBA Handicapping Predictions – Mavs vs Heat
It’s a rematch of the 2011 NBA Finals in Miami Thursday night on TNT.
NBA Basketball Matchup: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat
8:00 PM EST on TNT
NBA Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
NBA Betting Favorite: Heat -8
Over/Under: 189
The Heat have struggled a bit of late as their offense has begin to sputter. Dallas hasn’t looked like the same team that won the title last year, but they have won five of their last seven games.
Both teams should be fired up for this matchup. Miami won 105-94 in the Christmas Day season opener between these two. Who will have the edge in this one?
Dallas comes into this one with a 29-22 record on the season. The Mavericks have been inefficient on the offensive end all season. Dirk Nowitzki was out of shape and not himself at the start of the season, but he is rounding into form of late.
Nowitzki is averaging 21 points per game this year, but he has scored 21 points or more in eight of the team’s last nine contests. The poor play of Lamar Odom has held the team back, because he seemed like a nice fit for this unit. Jason Terry and Shawn Marion have both seen their field goal percentages drop a great deal from last year. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Defensively, the Mavericks are still solid. They are giving up 93.1 points per game.
Miami is 20-2 at home this year, so winning in south Florida is no easy task. For the season the Heat are averaging 101 points per game. However, in the last six games the team has failed to reach 100 points.
LeBron James is having an MVP type season thus far, but he dislocated a finger in the team’s loss to Indiana earlier this week. James is listed as probable.
He is averaging 26.7 points per game on 53.4% shooting from the floor. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have both had solid seasons again, and it seems like the Heat are a better team than they were last year at this time.
Shane Battier has been a nice addition to the squad.
The Heat have been one of the best teams in the league all year, but the Mavericks have the defense to keep this one close. This should a very entertaining game all the way through.
Prediction: Miami 95 Dallas 90
