NBA Picks Today: Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds and Predictions on December 4

The Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers hope to return to their winning ways as they clash this Wednesday at the Kaseya Center.

(Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

Losers of three of their last five, the Heat enters this matchup following a 108-89 road loss to the Boston Celtics while the Lakers look to rebound after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-80 on Monday.

• Early Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers betting lines suggest a close victory for the home team with bookmakers having the Heat as a slight one-point favorite in this matchup.
• A significant reason for it has been the Heat’s excellent track record in front of their adoring fans, winning three of their last four home games.
• On the other hand, their Against-The-Spread (ATS) records are not far apart with the Heat sporting an 8-11 ATS slate and the Lakers posting an 8-13 ATS card.

Miami and Los Angeles will only meet twice this year and the pressure to get that pivotal first win intensifies as both teams look to establish their lead in the season series.

Will LeBron James and Anthony Davis lead the Lakers to its second win in this four-game road trip or will Bam Adebayo and the rest of the Heat have something to say?

That remains to be seen but as of press time, here’s how the current Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers odds look like.

Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers FanDuel NBA Odds for December 4

Moneyline

• Miami Heat: -118
• Los Angeles Lakers: +100

Spread

• Miami Heat: -1 (-110)
• Los Angeles Lakers: +1 (-110)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 219 (-110)
• UNDER 219 (-110)

Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers Injury Report

Miami Heat Injury Report

1. Kevin Love – Back – Day-to-Day
2.  Josh Richardson – Illness – Day-to-Day
3. Nikola Jovic – Ankle – Day-to-Day
4. Kel’el Ware – Foot – Day-to-Day
5. Jimmy Butler – Knee – Day-to-Day

Los Angeles Lakers Injury Report

1. Jalen Hood-Schifino – Groin – Day-to-Day
2. Austin Reaves – Pelvis – Day-to-Day
3. Bronny James – Heel – Out
4. Quincy Olivari – Ankle – Day-to-Day
5.  Jaxson Hayes – Ankle – Out
6. Jarred Vanderbilt – Foot – Out
7. Christian Wood – Knee – Out

Best NBA odds for Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers

• The Miami Heat have won three of their past four home games this season. The best Miami Heat odds to win outright are available on FanDuel at -118.
• The Los Angeles Lakers have covered the spread three times in their 11 games away from home this season. FanDuel offers the best odds for the Lakers to cover the spread at -110.
• A cagey, low-scoring affair is usually on the cards when the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers face off. The best Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers odds for the under are available on DraftKings at -110.

Why will the Miami Heat cover the spread?

The Miami Heat dropped its second consecutive game on Monday after losing to the Boston Celtics 108-89.

With the Los Angeles Lakers next on the calendar, the Heat are in for another tough battle ahead as they play hosts to future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Anthony Davis who have been having sensational seasons thus far.

But it’s not all doom and gloom for the Heat despite coming in as a moderate underdog against the Lakers here.

• While they lost to the Celtics the last time, the Heat showed some resilience away from home as they were able to take care of their possessions and forced their opponents to turn the ball over 14 times.
• The Heat are also tough to beat in front of their fans, winning three of their past four home games by an average margin of 10.7 points.
• If that’s not good enough, Miami will also likely be playing with Jimmy Butler in this game after the former All-Star, who currently averages 18.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, missed their game against the Celtics.

With Butler expected to be back and the Heat’s excellent home record, there could be value towards backing Miami to cover the spread at these current odds.

For the Heat to cover the spread, however, they would need their three-point shots to hit the target. Against the Celtics, the Heat made only eight of their 35 attempts from three-point country, which is good for 22.9%.

Why will the Los Angeles Lakers cover the spread?

After Anthony Davis’ 33-point and 16-rebound explosion against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers were seemingly primed for another winning streak.

However, things turned the opposite way quickly when they ran against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday as they found themselves bleeding on offense on several stretches and eventually losing 109-80.

The Lakers look to make a quick turnaround next as they take on the struggling Miami Heat next in the penultimate match of their four-game road trip and in hindsight, they might have a chance to do such a thing.

• Although the Lakers struggled from the field against the Timberwolves, they actually played well on the defensive end of the floor, recording eight steals and two blocks while generating nine second chance possessions.
• Point guard D’Angelo Russell also balled out for the Lakers scoring a season-high 20 points to go along with five assists and three rebounds while converting 66.7% of his shots from the field.

For the Lakers to cover the spread against the Heat, they would need others besides Russell to step up, especially Davis and LeBron James, who only combined for 22 points in their loss against the Timberwolves.

Another thing that the Lakers have to address here is their turnovers as they failed to take good care of the ball last time, turning the ball over 20 times versus Minnesota.

Should Davis and James bounce back from their struggles and the Lakers get the same offensive contribution from Russell or from the rest of their crew, backing them to cover the spread is something worth considering at -110.

Final Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers NBA Prediction: Under 219 (-110)

The Miami Heat have actually been dominant versus the Los Angeles Lakers in recent memory, winning five of their previous six meetings.

However, backing the Heat to cover let alone win outright is not something I would consider right now, especially with their current struggles and the injury bug they are going through right now.

While I could make a case for the Lakers to cover the spread, their inconsistency has been pretty evident in the past few games. That’s why I am going with the under in this game.

With both teams on the back of separate losses, expect the Heat and the Lakers to play a highly technical game that could potentially end up in a last shot. It is also worth noting that the under hit in five of their previous six meetings.