The Miami Heat (42-24) take on the Toronto Raptors (47-18) as the NBA continues finishing the 2019-20 regular season in the “bubble” in Orlando. The Heat sit in fourth place but are just two games behind Boston, while the Raptors are in second place, six games behind Milwaukee and 3 ½ games ahead of Boston. Miami routed Denver in their “bubble” opener, 125-105, on Saturday. Toronto also opened their “bubble” play on Saturday and dealt the Lakers a 15-point beating. Let’s take a look at your best sports betting suggestions with respect to this Eastern Conference showdown so you can bet on their NBA odds.
NBA Betting – Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat Odds & Prediction (August 3)
Why should you bet on Miami?
Miami and Denver played a close game in the first half, with Denver up 57-56 at the break. The Heat exploded on offense in the second half, putting up 38 points in the third quarter and 69 points overall, while the Nuggets only mustered 48. Denver looked slow and sluggish in the second half, which could speak to the difficulties of getting back up to game speed during the training camp.
Bam Adebayo had no problems finding room to score in the paint, as he had 22 points, nine boards and six assists. He was tied with Jimmy Butler for the team lead in scoring, as Butler also grabbed four boards and had seven assists. Kelly Olynyk was the team’s third 20-point scorer, adding five boards and three assists. Duncan Robinson (17), Goran Dragic (13) and Kendrick Nunn (11) all had double figures in points as well. If the Heat can keep sharing the points — and getting big play inside from Bam — they will be tough to beat down the stretch.
Why should you put your money on the Raptors?
The Raptors got stronger in the second half against the Lakers in their win on Saturday. The Lakers went into the locker room at halftime up 44-41, as both teams struggled to find their shots, but the Raptors put up 66 points after the intermission to pull away for the win. One problem that may plague the Lakers in the “bubble,” after the shortened camp ahead of the restart, is conditioning late in games, as the Lakers have a lot of veterans on the roster.
Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 33 points and 14 rebounds, and he also dealt out six assists over 35 minutes. O.G. Anunoby added 23 points and four rebounds, and Pascal Siakam chipped in 15 points, nine boards and three assists. The other Raptor in double figures for scoring was Fred VanVleet, who had 13 points and led the team with 11 assists. Marc Gasol had eight points and seven rebounds. If you like Toronto against the Heat, you see Lowry and VanVleet continuing to light things up from the outside and the Raptors’ defense to continue to get stops.
Final Score, Prediction & General Info
The Raptors have been impressive this season, contending once again despite losing Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers. They have the defense to lock down opponents, taking a more old-school approach to the game than some teams that have moved to an approach that hopes that they can simply outscore the opposition. The Heat have gotten a terrific mentoring presence in Butler, as he is motivating the youngsters on the Heat roster by example. I see the Heat coming back to earth a bit here, though, and I predict a 111-107 win by the Raptors.
- When: Monday, August 3, 2020, 1:30 pm ET
- Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando
- Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat Live: ESPN
- Radio: TSN 1050 AM Toronto / 790 AM the Ticket Miami
- Live Stream: fuboTV
- Spread: Toronto -2.5
