No sporting event in its right mind would compete with the Super Bowl on Sunday, but that doesn't mean that basketball fans still can't get their fix the day of the big game. The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers will square off in South Beach on Sunday to highlight a short slate of NBA action.
You'll find all of the NBA odds at BookMaker.eu for this and every game of the season.
SCHEDULING
This is a nasty scheduling spot for the Clippers, something that live bettors shouldn't forget. They start a four-game East Coast swing on Friday night in Orlando before heading down to Miami for this early tip time. From there, thy have to play in Philly and Boston.
The entire trip will only take six days, and it would be easy to see the early start time getting the best of this West Coast team still adjusting to the Eastern time zone.
Miami also plays on Friday then Sunday, but its Friday nighter at Charlotte isn't so bad. The Heat also don't play on Monday like the Clips do, though their next game up is against the Spurs.
KEY MATCHUP
The Heat have won and covered five of their last six games, and the main reason for that is the offensive emergence once again of Chris Bosh. Bosh averages 19.1 points per game, so it shouldn't be shocking to think that he has 18 or more in the five wins, but prior to that, the vet was really slumping shooting the ball.
Since January 25, when Bosh has 18 points or more, the Heat are 5-0 SU and ATS. In his one game with fewer than that, Miami was beaten 115-102 by Houston.
For as great as Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade are, the Heat win games in the paint with Luol Deng, Bosh and Hassan Whiteside. Miami shoots 32.4 percent from downtown, but it has the second best two-point shooting percentage in the NBA.
The Clippers have played a lot of small ball of late with Blake Griffin out, and this could be a real problem for them.
A couple weeks ago when these teams met in Tinseltown, Bosh shot just 3-of-11 from the field, while Deng and Whiteside were both held to just three made shots from the floor. The Heat attempted 24 threes against 46 twos. That ratio needs to change quite a bit with more easy buckets if the Heat are going to help live bettors out in this one.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
The Clippers started off February with a dud, losing 108-102 at home to Minnesota as 10.5-point favorites. Still, the team is 12-6 ATS in its last 18 games played without Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan has 13 double-doubles in that span. We certainly wouldn't bet against Jordan doing it again in this one, though he didn't play in the opening game of the season between these teams.
The Clips have really played well in the second halves of games this year for the most part, but they were awful against Minnesota defensively, allowing 55 points on over 54 percent shooting from the field.
Miami is actually being outscored in the second halves of games here at home this year, averaging just 45.1 points per game, and that won't cut it for live bettors in this one. The Heat scored just 38 in the second half against LA a few weeks ago.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The duel between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Miami Heat will take place at American Airlines Arena on Sunday, February 7, 2016. This 2:00 p.m. ET kickoff can be seen live on ABC.
