The Los Angeles Lakers (44-25) and Miami Heat (38-31) will square off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla. The game will broadcast live on FDSSUN.
The Heat are 2.5-point favorites over the Lakers on the spread (Heat -2.5), with the over/under set at 239.5 total points. Miami is a -155 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Los Angeles is +130 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Lakers vs. Heat predictions and NBA picks for Thursday, March 19.
Lakers vs Heat Prediction, Pick
- Lakers vs Heat pick: Heat -2.5 (-115)
My Heat vs Lakers best bet is on Miami to cover the spread. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Lakers vs Heat Odds
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -105 | 239.5 -110o / -110u | +130 |
| Heat Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -115 | 239.5 -110o / -110u | -155 |
Lakers vs Heat NBA Preview
The Lakers are in a tough travel spot after a big win over the Rockets last night, as they fly to Miami for a date with the Heat.
Los Angeles won 124-116 on the road to now go up 2.5 games ahead of Houston, keeping a firm grasp on the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and pushing Houston down to a fifth-place tie with the Nuggets.
The Timberwolves are now up to No. 4 and 1.5 games back.
Miami is at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference, but just one game behind the fifth-place Raptors and 0.5 behind the Magic, who face Charlotte tonight in a continued endeavor to avoid the play-in for what would be a fourth consecutive season.
We last saw the Heat go down by 30 points to the Hornets a few days ago, but one big re-addition will be made to the lineup this time.
Injury-wise, the big news is that Bam Adebayo (calf) is probable.
Jaime Jaquez (hip) is questionable, and Andrew Wiggins (toe) is out.
LeBron James hasn't played a back-to-back in two months, so seeing him suit up would be a surprise, especially after suffering a nasty fall, in which he landed on his elbow on a Jabari Smith Jr. foul, late in the game.
Maxi Kleber (lumbar) is out.
Lakers vs Heat Predictions, Betting Analysis
I like the Heat here with Adebayo likely back in the lineup against the Lakers, who will be flying from Houston to Miami (!) and playing on the second half of a back-to-back.
It qualifies as a good bounce-back spot for the Heat coming off a Bam-less 30-point loss to Charlotte in their latest outing.
Miami is actually the ninth-best in the NBA in this spot, with a record of at 14-12 against the spread as a home favorite.
Pick: Heat -2.5 (-115, DraftKings)
Spread
My Lakers vs. Heat betting prediction is on Miami to cover the spread.
Moneyline
I'm not interested in the moneyline.
Over/Under
I have no play on the total for this game.
