LeBron James and the Miami Heat took a step closer into advancing to the next round after defeating the Brooklyn Nets on the road in Game 4. Will the Heat cap the series in Game 5, and prove the experts right that we covered in our NBA experts’ Round 2 predictions piece?
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Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn Nets Round 2, Game 5 Betting Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – May 6, Brooklyn 86 Miami 107
Game 2 – May 8, Brooklyn 82 at Miami 94
Game 3 – May 10, Miami 90 Brooklyn 104
Game 4 – May 12, Miami 102 Brooklyn 96
Game 5 – May 14, 7:00 PM ET, Brooklyn (+7) at Miami (-7); total: 189.0 – view all NBA lines
Game 6 (if necessary) – May 16, Miami at Brooklyn
Game 7 (if necessary) – May 18, Brooklyn at Miami
Betting on the Miami Heat
In Game 4, LeBron James once again made everyone a witness to his greatness. The Miami Heat superstar erupted for 49 points, tying his Playoff career-high, and towing the defending champions to a 3-1 series lead.
[sc:NBA240banner ]James was simply unstoppable. He shot 16-24 (66.7%) from the field, upping his shooting percentage to 58.2% over the Heat’s last five games. With James demanding for the ball more often than usual, the Heat only had 14 assists, five dimes fewer than their Playoffs average of 19.4 APG.
Even though James has the capacity to put his team on his back, he can’t be expected to score 49 points every night. Chris Bosh (12 points, three blocks), Dwyane Wade (15 points), and the rest of the Heat’s supporting pieces are still expected to deliver, regardless of what kind of game James is having.
Miami looks to finish off the Nets in Game 5 at home, where they are 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in their last four games there.
Betting on the Brooklyn Nets
After bombarding the Heat with 15 triples in Game 3, the Nets’ outside shooting soured, as they knocked down only five three-pointers in Game 4.
The Nets were too aggressive from beyond the arc, taking 22 three-point attempts and missing 17 for an ugly 22% shooting from the region. Joe Johnson (18 points) and Paul Pierce (16 points) combined for just two threes after drilling seven treys in Game 3. Even Mirza Teletovic, who had four triples in the previous game, went 0-3.
Brooklyn will have to be more patient on offense, and should have better shot selection, especially when their outside attempts aren’t falling. With a decisive advantage in the paint, the Nets should utilize their big men more. In Game 3 Andrei Blatche and Kevin Garnett had a combined 25 points, while they only had 16 in Game 4.
The Nets could recover their shooting touch in Game 5 on the road, where they have averaged more field goals made (35.2) in these Playoffs than at home (33.8). The over is 4-1 in Brooklyn’s last five road games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Heat will advance to the Eastern Conference finals as they will ride another big game from LeBron James. Take the Heat to win straight up.
