NBA Betting Trends: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat

NBA Betting Trends: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat

There are no shortage of fascinating storylines for tonight’s showdown between the Lakers (10-5) and Heat (9-4). Whether it’s the battle between LeBron and Kobe or Mike Brown’s re-union with King James, this evening’s highly anticipated matchup should make for great entertainment.

Miami opened as a 5.5-point favorite at the market-setting Cris sportsbook, according to Sports Insights’ NBA Betting Trends, but are currently receiving just 37% of spread wagers. Although the line still resides at -5.5, it took a circuitous route to get there.

After the line opened, it was pushed to 6 before being taken off the board when word broke that LeBron had missed the team’s shootaround with flu-like symptoms. The line re-opened at 5, but that number was quickly pushed back up to 5.5 — its original opening line.

The injury status of several key players will be imperative to monitor. Although Wade has already been ruled out for tonight, James is expected to play through his illness and is listed as probable. Obviously any change in his status would greatly impact the line, so make sure to check out our Injury Reports for up to the minute status updates.

A majority of the market has this game listed at 5.5, although there is some disagreement amongst the books. A number of books — including Leroy’s — have a line of -5 available. This once again illuminates the importance of shopping for the best line.

The following table shows the breakdown of spread betting percentages from our six contributing sportsbooks: