Miami Heat vs LA Lakers Prediction and Betting Tips | Jan. 15. 2024

The LA Lakers find themselves in familiar territory. The onus is on restoring parity as they take on an equally stuttering Miami Heat at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday. The last time both these sides met, LA endured a mammoth 40-point loss that came between two defeats to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Atlanta Hawks.

There have been changes and drama since. The Lakers managed to right the ship to a fair degree, but have struggled against quality teams. The D'Angelo Russell trade to land a 3-and-D specialist in Dorian Finney-Smith has yielded mixed results as the Purple and Gold have been almost invisible on the defensive end.

The Heat have had Jimmy Butler problems. They slapped the forward with a seven-game suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks" after his drama-filled press conference amid all the trade buzz. He will not be suiting up against the Lakers on Wednesday, and that makes things harder for Miami if their starters go cold.

The Lakers come off a dismal 126-102 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. The hosts struggled to contain Stephon Castle, and there's that rising worrisome trend of allowing the opponents to blitz them from the perimeter. LA's defensive efforts need to shore up if they intend to contain the likes of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.

While the Heat may not have Butler's services that keep their offense on the low, they are still one of the better defensive teams in the league. This will be the last meeting between both sides and all eyes will be on JJ Redick if he can come up with a gameplan to counter the Heat threat.

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Miami Heat vs LA Lakers Preview, Predicted Starting Lineups, Betting Tips, Odds, and Prediction

The Miami Heat vs LA Lakers showdown tips off at 10 pm ET. Local coverage will be on SportsNet LA and FDSSUN. The game can be streamed live on Fubo TV and the NBA app with a subscription to the NBA League Pass.

Here are the odds as listed at the time of writing:

Teams	Spread	Total (o/u)	Moneyline
Miami Heat	+4.5	o217.5 (-110)	+162
LA Lakers	-4.5	u217.5 (-109)	-196

Note: Odds are subject to change closer to tip-off.

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Miami Heat vs LA Lakers Preview

By JJ Redick's admission, the Lakers had three games with "real slippage defensively." Rui Hachimura agreed to how the wildfires had played their part in displacing normalcy but admitted to finding gear as sporting action resumed. The Lakers loss to the Spurs comes amid what has been a tragic and devastating few days in the city.

A look at the team's postgame press conference shows they are aware of the work that needs to be done on the floor to get their wobbly campaign back on track. LA's defense needs to be better and if there was a lesson to be learned from, Miami made ample use of the Lakers' paltry perimeter defense to make a good chunk of shots from downtown.

Heading into the game, the Lakers are 17th in scoring offense with 111.6 points per game and average 111.4 points per 100 possessions. Their 47.2% from the field sees them placed 11th in the league in that category and are 20th in 3-point offense shooting 35.4% of their 3s. Their defense has slipped a few rungs with the side placed 20th in scoring defense allowing 113.2 points per 100 possessions.

The Heat will bank on Tyler Herro to do the bulk of the scoring. The former Sixth Man has been having quite the scoring season averaging 23.8 points on 46.9% shooting from the field and 40.6% from the deep. However, Miami is still worse on the offensive front with 21st place in scoring offense averaging 110.8 points. They are a better defensive unit allowing just 108.8 points per 100 possessions to take 12th place in scoring defense.

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Miami Heat vs LA Lakers Predicted Starting Lineups

There are injury concerns for the Heat with Bam Adebayo (back contusion) listed as questionable. Jimmy Butler (suspension), Josh Richardson (heel), and Dru Smith (Achilles surgery) are ruled out. Rookie Kel’el Ware (right foot soreness) is listed as probable.

Position	Player
PG	Terry Rozier
SG	Tyler Herro
SF	Haywood Highsmith
PF	Jaime Jaquez Jr
C	Kevin Love/Bam Adebayo

The LA Lakers have the usual names on the injury report. LeBron James (left foot injury management) and Anthony Davis (left ankle sprain) are probable. Jalen Hood-Schifino (left hamstring strain), Jarred Vanderbilt, and Christian Wood (surgery recovery) are out. Dorian Finney-Smith is listed as doubtful due to personal reasons.

Position	Player
PG	Austin Reaves
SG	Max Christie
SF	Rui Hachimuura
PF	LeBron James
C	Anthony Davis

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Miami Heat vs LA Lakers Betting Tips

Tyler Herro comes in with an o/u of -113/-105 on points. Bam Adebayo is -118/-118 on points and rebounds, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. is -115/-110 on points and assists. For the LA Lakers, LeBron James is -108/-110 on points and rebounds, and Anthony Davis is -110/-125 on points and rebounds.

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Miami Heat vs LA Lakers Prediction

Both teams have blown hot and cold this season, and in the absence of Butler, and Adebayo if he doesn't suit up puts the Heat at a disadvantage. Adebayo has been a matchup nightmare for Davis, and the Lakers have played erratic defense of late. LA will have their challenges to overcome, but there's a good chance they will bounce back to winning ways. Chalk up a Lakers win on Wednesday.