The Oklahoma City Thunder (32-18) and the Miami Heat (24-25) battle at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Thunder will try to continue their six-game winning streak. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, February 1, 2019, and will air on Fox Sports – Seattle.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat ATS Odds
The Thunder come in on a high note after covering the 3.5-point spread against the Orlando Magic in their last game, 126-117. The Heat, on the other hand, were beaten by the Chicago Bulls, 105-89, and failed to cover as 10.5-point underdogs. The Oklahoma City game went 21.5 points over the projected point total of 221.5, while the Miami game finished 12 points under the projected point total of 206.
Oklahoma City dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a phenomenally low turnover percentage of 6.4 (better than their season average of 11.8) and a free throw rate of 0.209 (above their season average of 0.194). For those same stats, Orlando had marks of 9.8 and 0.147, respectively. Miami, meanwhile, held Chicago to an offensive rebounding percentage of 13.5 (below the 22.6 mark opponents have averaged against Miami this season). Justise Winslow played a pivotal role for Miami with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Russell Westbrook, meanwhile played a huge role in the victory for Oklahoma City, collecting 23 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists on his way to his third consecutive triple-double (16th this season).
The Thunder dominated this series last year, winning both games. In the last game, Oklahoma City won 115-93. Oklahoma City made good use of their 38 trips to the free throw line, converting on 31 of them (81.6 percent). Miami, on the other hand, was just 8-14 (57.1 percent). This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams.
Of the Thunder’s 50 games, 25 have finished over the projected point total. Oklahoma City comes into the contest with records of 32-18 straight up (SU) and 28-22 against the spread (ATS).
Of the Heat’s 49 games, 24 have finished over the total. Additionally, Miami owns records of 24-25 SU and 25-23-1 ATS.
The ineffective offense of Miami will clash against the top-notch defense of Oklahoma City. The Heat currently rank 23rd in offensive efficiency, while the Thunder are third in defensive efficiency. The Thunder figure to have the advantage on that end of the court. It will also be a showdown of contrasting paces as the up-and-down Thunder rank third in possessions per game, while the more half-court oriented Heat rank 24th.
Thunder at Heat Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Heat, ATS Winner – Heat, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Heat average 5.8 blocks per game, which ranks fourth in the NBA. The Thunder rank 14th in blocks allowed per game (5.0).
- Oklahoma City ranks fifth in fast break points per game (18.1) while Miami ranks 28th (9.8).
- The Thunder rank third in second chance points per game (14.9) while the Heat rank 21st in second chance points allowed per game (14.1).
- Miami ranks second in assists allowed per game (22.4) while Oklahoma City ranks 20th (24.9).
- Miami ranks third in points allowed in the paint per game (43.1) while Oklahoma City ranks 16th (49.5).
- The Thunder average 20.6 points off turnovers per game, which ranks second in the league. The Heat rank 22nd in points off turnovers allowed per game (17.6).
- The Heat average 46.6 rebounds per game, which ranks seventh in the league. The Thunder rank 22nd in rebounds allowed per game (45.5).
- Oklahoma City ranks first in steals per game (10.2) while Miami ranks 20th (7.4).
- When allowing below 100 points, Oklahoma City is 6-0 and Miami is 15-2.
- When reaching the century mark, the Thunder are 30-12 and the Heat are 22-13.
- Oklahoma City is 15-11 ATS on the road, while Miami is 10-14-1 ATS at home.
- The total has gone under in 16 of the Thunder’s 26 road games, while 13 of the Heat’s 25 home games have gone over.
Bettings Trends:
- The Thunder are 4-1 ATS over their last five games, while the Heat are 2-3.
- In their last five games, Oklahoma City has 4 overs and 1 under, while Miami has 5 unders.
- The Thunder’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 9.6, up from 5.0 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Heat have scored an average of 98.6 points per game (6.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 102.8 points per game (2.7 below their season average).
