Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Prediction, 4/8/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat

Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021

Location: AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, FL

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Los Angeles (+9)

AmericanAirlines Arena is the venue where and the Miami Heat (26-25) will take on the Los Angeles Lakers (32-19) on Thursday. The line on this matchup has Miami as 9-point favorites. The over/under is set at 206.

The Los Angeles Lakers took the court against the Toronto Raptors and earned the victory with a final of 110-101 in their last game. Los Angeles wrapped up the game with a 49.4% field goal percentage (39 of 79) and made 18 out of their 40 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Lakers converted 14 of 22 shots for a percentage of 63.6%. Concerning rebounding, they earned 49 with 11 of them being offensive. They also recorded 29 assists in the matchup as well as forcing 12 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In regard to defense, Los Angeles allowed 39.6% from the floor on 36 out of 91 shooting. Toronto earned 17 dimes and had 13 steals for the contest. On top of that, Toronto grabbed 42 rebounds (15 offensive, 27 defensive) and earned 7 blocked shots. Toronto finished 80.0% at the free throw line by converting 24 of their 30 attempts. They knocked down 5 of 33 attempts from distance.

Markieff Morris is one guy who was a major factor for the game. He left the arena with 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 24:05 mins played and also pulled down 9 boards. Morris ended up going 46.2% from the floor and earned 1 assist. Another guy that came through in the game for the Lakers was Marc Gasol. He totaled 9 rebounds in his 27:40 min on the hardwood. He finished shooting 66.7% from the field in this matchup by hitting 6-of-9 (13 points). When all was said and done, Gasol had accumulated 5 assists.

Los Angeles enters this one with a win-loss mark of 32-19 for the year. They average 110.0 pts per contest (22nd in the league) while shooting 47.6% from the field. The Lakers are hitting 35.3% on shots from downtown (553 of 1,566) and 74.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Los Angeles is grabbing 45.2 boards per game and has earned 1,248 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 17th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 15.6 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 19.0 personal fouls every game. On the defensive end of the court, the Lakers are able to force 15.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 21.5 personal fouls. The Lakers defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 45.3% (765 of 1,094) and they relinquish 42.0 boards per contest as a basketball team. They rank 20th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,264 relinquished so far this season. They concede 34.9% on shots from downtown and they are 2nd in the league in PPG allowed (105.8).

In their last game, the Miami Heat went home defeated by a final of 124-112 against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Heat collected 28 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 35 in the game. They turned the ball over 12 times, while earning 9 steals for this game. The Grizzlies were called for 13 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Heat to the free throw line for a total of 18 attempts. They were able to convert 11 of those for a rate of 61.1%. In reference to shooting from downtown, Miami buried 13 out of 33 tries (39.4%). Overall, the Heat went 44 out of 82 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 53.7%. The Heat permitted the Grizzlies to make 46 out of their 84 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.8% in the matchup. They shot 41.5% from 3-point land via 17 out of 41 and ended up shooting 15 out of 20 at the free throw line (75.0%). In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Miami allowed Memphis to snag 42 in total (9 offensive).

Jimmy Butler ended up being a factor for the Heat in this game. He knocked down 11 of 16 for this contest giving him a rate of 68.8%, and had 3 rebounds. Butler totaled 28 points in his 34:39 mins of playing time and tallied 5 assists in this contest. One more player that was pivotal for Miami was Bam Adebayo. He wrapped the game up with 10 assists in his 33:20 mins on the court, and he shot 9 out of 14 from the floor. Adebayo ended up shooting 64.3% from the floor as well as earning 18 points and 10 total rebounds.

Miami has a mark of 26-25 for the year. Miami has accumulated 5,433 pts on the season (106.5 per contest) and they collect 42.5 boards per contest. The Heat are responsible for committing 18.9 fouls per contest and they go 78.7% from the free throw line. In terms of offensive execution, the Heat are connecting on 46.0% from the floor, which is 19th in basketball. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 26.2 times per contest (9th in the NBA) and they are giving up possession 14.6 times per contest. The Heat on the defensive side of the court are 4th in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 107.4. The Miami defense gives up 36.3% on shots from beyond the arc (745 of 2,052) and opponents are knocking down 78.8% of their foul shots. They concede 25.4 assists and 44.0 total boards per game, which is ranked 22nd and 16th in basketball. They are able to force 15.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.7% from the field (3rd in the NBA).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Miami (-9)

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