Oklahoma City’s road woes continued on Monday as the Thunder absorbed a narrow six-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The Thunder, who have now lost four of their opening seven road games, will look for a much better performance later tonight when they face the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena.
Who will emerge victorious in this blockbuster showdown? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this NBA matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of San Antonio vs. Memphis and Boston vs. Sacramento.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat Preview
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami
When: Thursday, December 3, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder (-2) at Miami Heat (+2); total: 200.5 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (11-7)
The Oklahoma City Thunder had their four-game winning streak snapped on Monday with a gut-wrenching 106-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. It was a disappointing loss for the Thunder who overcame a 16-point deficit late in the fourth quarter only to fall short against the Hawks in the end. Oklahoma City fell to 0-5 this season when failing to top 100 points.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Thunder will look to get their season back on track when they face the Miami Heat tonight. For the Thunder to return to the win column this evening, they will need their reserves to step up their play. Oklahoma City’s bench was 7-of-31 from the field against the Hawks on Monday and only scored a season-low 19 points. The Thunder are 11-1 when their reserves score at least 30 and 0-6 when they don’t.
Oklahoma City’s bench may have struggled in that game but the same can’t be said about star guard Russell Westbrook. He scored 34 points in that contest, half of which came in the fourth quarter. It was a spectacular performance by Westbrook who also grabbed 11 boards and dished out seven dimes. He’s averaging 27.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game this season.
Another player who’s expected to play a key role for the Thunder tonight is Kevin Durant. He had 25 points on Monday, including Oklahoma City’s only four in the final two minutes. He leads the Thunder in scoring this season, averaging 28.4 points per outing.
The Thunder are 2-5 ATS on the road this season.
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Betting on the Miami Heat (10-6)
Miami opened its four-game home stand in disappointing fashion as it suffered a stinging 105-95 loss to Boston on Monday night. The Heat simply had no answer for Boston’s starting unit who all scored in double-figures in this contest.
The Heat will look to return to winning ways tonight when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder. For Miami to accomplish that feat, it needs to improve on its play on the defensive end. The Heat may be one of the league’s top defensive teams but they are struggling in that department as of late. They have allowed an average of 104.5 points in their last two setbacks.
In fact, Miami allowed a whopping 57 first-half points to Boston in their loss on Monday night. The Heat, however, are more than capable of turning this around. They are second in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 92.5 points per game. The Heat are 8-1 when holding opponents under that mark.
It’s crucial for Miami as well that Dwyane Wade step up his play tonight. He had a season-high 30 points Monday against Boston but also committed six turnovers. Wade was held to a combined 30 points in two meetings with Oklahoma City last season. He leads the Heat in scoring this season, averaging 18.0 points per contest.
The Heat are 8-3 SU and 5-6 ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Oklahoma City (-2) edges past Miami, 102-97.
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