Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Lakers are 15-3 straight up and 9-8-1 against the spread so far this postseason. With a 16th playoff win on Friday night in Orlando, the Lakers can put the Miami Heat away and secure their first NBA championship since 2010.
Los Angeles is a 7.5-point favorite on the NBA odds for Game 5 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Heat are 3-0 ATS over the last three games of the NBA Finals but are just 1-2 SU over that stretch.
Heat vs Lakers | OddsShark Matchup Report
LeBron James had another fantastic performance in Game 4, leading the team in scoring with 28 points while adding 12 rebounds and eight assists. But it may have been the defensive play of Anthony Davis on Jimmy Butler that stood out the most.
Davis finished the day with 22 points and nine rebounds, but in a more telling stat, the Lakers were +17 in the 42 minutes their big man was on the floor and -11 in the six minutes he wasn’t. Los Angeles eventually pulled away with a 102-96 win to secure a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.
The Lakers fell to 0-3 ATS over their last three games and 2-5-1 ATS over their last eight games on Tuesday night despite having a 6-2 SU record over that stretch per the OddsShark NBA Database.
Butler scored 40 points in leading the Heat to an upset win in Game 3, but in Game 4 he was held to just 22 points. Bam Adebayo scored 17 points in his return to the lineup and the Heat were competitive throughout the game, but the Lakers never let them get on a run. Goran Dragic’s presence continues to be missed, and he is once again listed as doubtful heading into Game 5.
Friday night’s total is set at 216 points at sports betting sites. The UNDER is 3-1 through the first four games of this series.
Los Angeles beat the Portland Trail Blazers in five games, the Houston Rockets in five games, and the Denver Nuggets in five games. The Lakers are 48 strong minutes away from defeating the Heat in five games as well and securing the franchise’s 17th championship.
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