2020 NBA Finals Betting Odds Preview
After a long and arduous season, the NBA Finals finally tips off Wednesday night with the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Miami Heat.
This is not the Finals matchup many experts predicted a few months ago. The Lakers have been championship-or-bust all season, but the Heat were barely anyone’s fourth option to represent the Eastern Conference in the finals.
Lakers favored to stifle Heat in NBA Finals
The odds agree, as the Lakers will enter the series as a -350 favorite to win it. Miami, which has been an underdog through most of its playoff run, is a +275 underdog to win the NBA crown.
The odds for Game 1 are similar to the series odds. At Bovada Sportsbook, the Lakers opened as a 5.5-point favorite. During the playoffs, the Lakers have been favored in every game they’ve played. In those 15 games, they’ve produced a 12-3 record straight up and a 9-5-1 record against the spread.
The Heat are no strangers to being the underdog. Miami started the playoffs with a four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers and was favored in all four games. Since then, during their series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, the Heat were favored only once. During the full playoff run, the Heat are 12-3 SU and ATS. As an underdog, they’ve gone 7-3 both SU and ATS.
L.A. has won last 4 games vs Miami
The Heat and Lakers did not meet up in the regular-season games held in the Florida bubble and have not faced off since December. They met up in Miami on December 13 and the Lakers edged the Heat 113-110 as a 5.5-point road favorite.
The Lakers also hosted the Heat in Los Angeles on November 8. Los Angeles won that game 95-80 as an 8.5-point favorite. Overall, the Lakers have won four straight against Miami at 2-2 ATS, and in their last seven matchups L.A. is 6-1 SU and 3-4 ATS.
Totals bettors may be interested in knowing that in the last five matchups between Los Angeles and Miami, the UNDER is 4-1. The Lakers are 8-7 UNDER in the playoffs, which includes going 4-1 OVER in their last five games. The Heat are 8-7 OVER in the playoffs, and they’re 5-1 OVER in their last six games.