Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Tyler Herro Lead Heat Over Lakers Without LeBron?
The Lakers host the Miami heat at home in Los Angeles tonight for a thrilling NBA matchup. Without LeBron James, can the Lakers earn the win? Let's get into it.
Ben Rajavuori - January 4, 2023, 4:44 PM EST
5 minLos Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Tyler Herro Lead Heat Over Lakers Without LeBron?
Click here to claim over $5000 worth of sports betting bonuses to use for WeBeatTheSpreads' Lakers vs. Heat bet!
Lakers vs. Heat Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: January 4, 2023
- Game Time: 10:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
Lakers vs. Heat Odds
- Spread: Lakers +8.5 (-110), Heat -8.5 (-105)
- Total Odds: Over 227.5 (-106), Under 227.5 (-109)
- Moneyline Odds: Heat (-350), Lakers (+300)
Click here for Lakers vs. Heat odds
Lakers vs. Heat Prediction
The Miami Heat continue their road trip out west with a date in Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Heat have won back-to-back games on their road trip, winning outright as dogs in Utah and then knocking off the Clippers by 10 points on Monday. Now, they take on the short-handed Lakers. The Lakers have also won back-to-back games entering tonight, with a road win against the Hawks and a road win against the Hornets. The Lakers now return home after a long road trip to try and cover or win as 8.5-point underdogs tonight. Can they do it?
The Miami Heat are getting healthier, and it has shown. They have won 11 of their past eight games, including the two most recent back-to-back victories. It helps that the team finally has Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo healthy at the same time. At least one of the two has been out to injury in 16 of the Heat's 38 games. When the Heat beat the Lakers 112-98 a week ago, both Butler and Adebayo scored over 20 points, proving their worth in the lineup. Anthony Davis has now missed 12 games this season and will continue to miss more as he is still on the sidelines.
The good news for Lakers fans is that LeBron James has really stepped up in his absence. LeBron is coming off back-to-back games with 43 and 47 points, and his 34.8 points per game average, while Davis has been out, has helped the Lakers stay competitive. That's the good news. The bad news? He isn't playing tonight. Any NBA fan knows that without Anthony Davis and LeBron James, there is not much talent left on the team. What makes matters even worse is that Russell Westbrook's minutes have been limited as he has been dealing with an injury himself. Add Lonnie Walker to that list, who has been a good support role player, and the Lakers are in serious trouble. Even with LeBron, the Lakers just lost 98-112 to the Heat, and now they are without the player that just dropped over 40 points in the last two games and is the leader of the team on the court.
What does LeBron mean to the team, exactly? Well, the Lakers are 3-5 with him this season. While the Lakers sit at 16-21, that doesn't sound so bad; however, in all three of the wins without LeBron, the Lakers had Anthony Davis. The Lakers are 0-5 this season with both James and Davis out. Only one of those losses was kept to single digits, and it was a home game against the Kings. Every other Lakers game without LeBron and Davis has been a double-digit loss, and now they play a Heat team getting hot with a healthy roster. Looking up and down the lineups, Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Caleb Martin (probable for tonight) is a talented roster that the Lakers cannot stop without LeBron and Davis. The Lakers are simply out-matched tonight. The line has risen from the opening line of -7, but I still love this bet up to -9.5.
Lakers vs. Heat Pick
- Heat -8.5 @ (-110) Bet $100 to collect $190. DraftKings has the best odds, click here to bet
Already have FanDuel and DraftKings and looking for a new sportsbook offer to use for Lakers vs. Heat? You've come to the right spot! Click claim now below and get exactly that!
