Heat-Trailblazers Spread at Miami -5

The Heat-Trailblazers spread was coming in at -5 in favor of the road team Miami for Thursday night’s game (March 1, 2012).  You can find all the latest NBA betting odds at Sportsbook.com here. 

Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Miami -5 & 197.5

Opening Line & Total: Heat -4.5& 196.5

The Heat finally get the second half of their season underway when they visit Portland on Thursday night.

Miami finished up the first half on an absolute tear, winning eight in a row SU (7-1 ATS), all of them by 12 points or more. The Rose Garden is one of the NBA’s toughest places to play (Portland is 13-5 SU, 12-6 ATS at home this season), and the Blazers pushed the Heat to overtime at home a little more than a year ago. But Portland will be traveling after dropping a game in Denver on Wednesday night, and the team is just 2-5 SU and 3-6 ATS this season when playing a back-to-back in different cities. Not to mention, the Heat are 21-3 SU and 14-10 ATS with at least one day of rest this season.

Chris Bosh (personal) is expected to be out for this game.

The Heat spent the first half of the season dominating on both ends of the floor, holding opponents to 94.4 PPG despite their up-tempo style, and allowing 42.3% FG while forcing 16.9 turnovers per game. Offensively, SF LeBron James (27.4 PPG on 54.7% FG, 8.1 RPG, 6.8 APG) and SG Dwyane Wade (22.4 PPG on 50.2% FG) have been unstoppable during their recent win streak. James has averaged 23.8 PPG on 55.2% FG, 7.6 RPG and 6.8 APG over the past eight contests, while Wade has added 23.3 PPG on 56.6% FG. The duo lit it up in Miami’s visit to Portland last year, with James going for 44 points on 17-for-26 shooting and Wade adding 33 on 15-for-22 shooting in a 107-100 overtime win. James has topped 40 in each of his past two games at the Rose Garden.

Additionally, Chris Bosh (18.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG) showed signs of breaking out of a slump just before the break, going for 22.5 PPG on 58.1% shooting in the final two games

The Blazers did not look sharp in Wednesday’s road loss to a Nuggets team playing without its two best players (Nene and Danilo Gallinari). Portland allowed 100 points for the second time in three games (holding the Spurs to 97 because San Antonio was playing without its three best players). All-Star PF LaMarcus Aldridge (22.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG) is still trying to find his way since returning from an ankle injury two weeks ago. In four games, he’s averaging 19.5 PPG while shooting just 43.9% from the field (a number boosted by his 8-for-12 night against the Spurs’ B-team).

SG Jamal Crawford (14.4 PPG) has moved into the starting lineup in place of PG Raymond Felton (10.1 PPG, 6.2 APG). Crawford is capable of putting up big numbers, and he’s averaged 20.5 PPG on 60.9% FG (10-of-16 threes) since joining up with the starters. But Portland might be sacrificing chemistry with Crawford trying to initiate the offense.

Defensively, the Heat’s one Achilles heel has been guarding the three-point line. That bodes well for Crawford and SG Nicolas Batum (13.7 PPG), who’s in the NBA’s top 20 in three-point percentage (42.1%) and three-pointers made (59). Since moving into the starting lineup in mid-February, Batum is averaging 19.6 PPG while hitting 49.5% of his field goals and 44.7% of his threes

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Report