NBA: Miami and Phoenix look to turn up the heat

Dwayne Wade and his Heat teammates ended their five game losing streak last evening, humbling Houston 99-66. They will seek just their third road win in 10 attempts in a place that has not been hospitable to them historically, Atlanta. Elsewhere on Wednes

2010-02-11

Dwayne Wade and his Heat teammates ended their five game losing streak last evening, humbling Houston 99-66. They will seek just their third road win in 10 attempts in a place that has not been hospitable to them historically, Atlanta. Elsewhere on Wednesday, the Suns are playing their best basketball since the beginning of the season and are rested for an opponent that is both injured and playing on the second of back-to-back nights, Portland. Read on for a look at both games then head over to the LIVE ODDS & GAME MATCHUP pages on Sportsbook.com for the latest price and key betting info.

Miami (25-27 SU & ATS) had lost five in a row, and was beaten rather soundly (9.6 points per game), yet seemed determined to turn the path around at home against the Rockets. The Heat turned up the heat on Houston, building a 56-31 halftime lead and never looked back. “Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we came in with the right mindset to work and try to get better,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.

To take positive momentum into the All-Star break, the Heat players will need a non-placet attitude about playing consecutive nights. Miami is 2-8 and 3-7 ATS playing with no rest and been bashed by 12.4 points a contest in this situation. The Heat are 3-12 ATS after leading in their previous game by 15 or more points at the half over the last two seasons and head to a joint where success is tough to come by.
Miami has lost five in a row at Phillips Arena during the regular season and eight of nine if you include the playoffs in almost three seasons (3-6 ATS). Atlanta (33-17, 32-18 ATS) has the second best home record in the Eastern Conference at 21-5 and has the finest spread record in the NBA at 18-8 ATS. The Hawks have captured nine of their last 10 (7-3 ATS) and are 15-5 ATS on home floor after playing three consecutive games as favorite.

The Heat is a seven-point road underdog at Sportsbook.com, with a total of 191 and is 17-34 ATS off a home win since 2007. Atlanta on the other hand is 15-6 ATS overall and 10-2 OVER in a home game facing a team with a losing record this season.
A little later, what doesn’t look like a crucial contest for Phoenix (31-21, 27-24-1 ATS) is important for the following reasons. The Suns’ five game winning streak has restored the club’s confidence, especially with the last four victories coming on the road. A sixth straight W might cool talk of trading All-Star center Amare Stoudemire, whose averaged 27.8 points and 12.3 rebounds in those four road triumphs.

Phoenix has gone from a low Western Conference seed to now with visions of moving up to fourth slot if they continue with a big second half. Besides trying to earn another win, the Suns will begin playing their final 29 games well-rested, with this being their only contest in an 11-day period. Phoenix won and covered at Sacramento last Friday 114-102 and is 12-4 ATS after a road game where both teams score 100 or more points.

Conversely, Portland (30-24, 29-24-1 ATS) can’t get to break quick enough. The Trailblazers have been injury-plagued again and have missed the heart and soul of their team, Brandon Roy. Portland is 4-7 (7-4 ATS) in Roy’s absence and though Jerryd Bayless has filled in admirably for a time, averaging 14 points per game in the first nine. However, he’s down to 6.5 PPG in the last two tries and the Blazers have scored 82 and 77 points at home. Coach Nate McMillan’s team is 47-70 ATS playing eight or more games in 14 days, in other words, when fatigued.

The Suns are eight-point home chalk, with a total of 210.5 and they are 12-2 ATS after playing a game as a road favorite and 9-0 OVER at home off two or more consecutive road wins. Portland is 17-8 ATS versus teams who make six or more 3-point shots a game and 12-3 OVER as a road underdog this season.

The StatFox Power Lines show Atlanta by 2, Phoenix by 8. How do these compare to the latest odds at Sportsbook.com.

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