Heat vs Knicks Betting Preview: Butler, Different Animal in Playoffs
Miami Bench Key in Game 1 Victory
The Heat vs Knicks betting preview for Game 2 sees New York favored by 6.5 points. The total on the game is 207. New York is -260 on the moneyline, with Miami +210. The Heat took an early 1-0 series lead with a 108-101 win on Sunday. Game 2 is Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised on TNT.
The Knicks did nearly everything right on Sunday, with one exception. New York was horrible from 3-point range, hitting 7 of 34 (20.7%). Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and RJ Barrett were a combined 1 for 16 from long range. If New York shoots its season average, Game 1 has a different outcome.
The Knicks didn’t help themselves any at the foul line, going 12 for 20. New York shoots 76.1% from the charity stripe for the year. In a game of missed opportunities, New York left too many points on the court.
The Knicks enjoyed a 48-39 rebounding advantage. But they wasted that effort by going -5 in turnovers. The Knicks’ passing wasn’t up to standards in Game 1. The Heat had 26 assists on 36 baskets. The Knicks had just 20 assists on 41 baskets. New York has to be better with the ball and get better movement without it.
There’s no doubt the absence of Julius Randle hurt the Knicks. But New York still was solid on the boards and have others who can score. Randle wasn’t his normal self in the last two games against Cleveland. But you have to think he’ll give it his best shot to go Tuesday. Even a brief appearance will be an emotional lift. A full return would be even better.
Heat’s Elders Come Up Big
The Heat are the older team, so the extra day between games definitely helped. The elderly statesmen on the team played a big part in Sunday’s victory. Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love – each 33 or older – combined to score 52 points, grab 21 rebounds and dish out 14 assists. The oldest player to score for the Knicks was Josh Hart. He turned 28 in March.
Knicks Have Dominated in Rebounds
The Heat vs Knicks betting preview shows New York has controlled the boards against Miami all NBA season. New York had more rebounds in four of the five meetings between the two. But the Knicks have to capitalize on those. The Knicks held their largest rebounding advantage (+13) in the game the Miami Heat won.
Knicks in Decent Situation
New York is in a good historical situation. Playoff home favorites who lost as a home favorite of 4 or more points have come back to 53-40-1 (57.0%) their next game. Teams in this situation are 3-0 against the spread this year. Under have also been good wagers in this spot. Totals are 39-51-4 in this situation. But they are 2-1 so far this season.
Closely related is that playoff home favorites of 6 or more who lost last game as a home favorite are 34-26-1 since 2002-03. The Suns beat the Clippers 123-109 as 8-point favorites earlier in this year’s playoffs.
Handicapping Game 2
The Heat vs Knicks betting preview agrees with the climb in the spread from Game 1. Not only has it been a good historical situation, but the Knicks were the better team during the season. The Knicks finished six games in front of Miami in the NBA standings. Not to mention, New York won the majority of games played during the regular season.
The Heat win more than they lose. But when Miami losses, they’ll lose big. In the 40 losses the Heat have had this year (39 regular season, 1 in the playoffs), Miami lost by an average of 9.75 points. The Heat are 3-37 against the spread in those games. The NBA spread tonight is big, but so far this year, you haven’t had to worry about it much in Heat games.
The Knicks simply need to play better. New York has to keep hitting the boards and try to cut down on mistakes. The Knicks are a better 3-point shooting team than what they showed Sunday. New York’s defense wasn’t all that bad in Game 1. But they can play a little bit better.
The Heat need the old-timers to come up big once again. Getting solid minutes from Lowry and Love is key for Miami. Those two were brought in for some veteran leadership and it’s paid off so far. The beat Milwaukee and stole home court advantage against the Knicks.
The Knicks rebounded well from their lone loss in the first round and history says they’ll do so again. It’s not the easiest game from a handicapping perspective, but have to follow the trends and take the Knicks in Game 2.
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