Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors Predictions and Odds Jan 17
Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors betting preview for Monday, January 17. At the time of posting, the Heat have opened as an 3-point home favorite over the Raptors, with the total sitting at 207 points.
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| Monday, January 17 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Miami Heat -3 vs Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Total: | 207 Points |
| Game Time: | 7:40pm ET / 4:40pm PT |
| Arena: | FTX Arena in Miami, FL |
| TV: | Bally Sports Sun |
Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors Analysis
The Toronto Raptors travel to FTX Arena in Miami for an Eastern Conference showdown with the Heat on Monday night. The Raptors sit at 8th place in the conference with a 21-19 record after upsetting the Milwaukee Bucks 103-96 on Saturday night. The Heat also played on Saturday night, but suffered a 109-98 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami currently sits at 3rd place in the conference with a 27-16 record. These teams will be seeing a lot of each in other, as this will be the first of four head-to-head meetings this season.
Butler Looks to Clean Up Performance
The Miami Heat have been in strong form as they’ve won nine of their past twelve games overall, but will look to bounce back after having their four game win streak snapped in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. This game can’t come quick enough for Jimmy Butler, who scored only 8 points on a putrid one for eleven shooting performance. Despite the horrendous showing, Butler still leads the team with 22.6 points a game on 49% shooting from the field. Omer Yurtseven led the team with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the game against Philly.
The much anticipated Kyle Lowry and Toronto Raptors reunion will have to wait, as the former All-Star has been ruled out due to personal reasons. Lowry’s defense, hustle and leadership will be missed against his former team. On the bright side, superstar big man Bam Adebayo has been upgraded to questionable, as he could return after injuring his thumb in December. Miami has played stellar defense, they allow the 4th least points a game with 104.3 points a game while ranking 8th in defensive efficiency. They also rank high on points scored with 108.7 per game, good for 8th most.
Nurse to Full Health
The Toronto Raptors continue to get close to full strength after having multiple key players miss significant time with injuries and Covid issues. Guard Gary Trent Jr is nursing an ankle injury and is questionable for Mondays contest, while center Khem Birch will need surgery to repair a broken nose. The Raptors have been in great form themselves, as they have won seven of their last nine games. Head coach Nick Nurse decided to keep his team to an seven man rotation in a huge victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Raptors length and athleticism was in full display, as they held Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton to 9 for 29 shooting while limiting the Bucks to only 20 points in two of the quarters. Pascal Siakim recorded a triple double with exactly 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. On the season, the Raptors only average 107.2 points a game ranking them 22nd in the league. On defense the Raptors rank 11th allowing 106 points a game. However, the Raptors started the season poorly, but have been much improved of late going 12-3 against the spread in their last 15 games.
Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors Prediction
The Miami Heat are favored by four points with the total set at 211. Both teams come into this game in great form with the Heat at 5-1 against the spread in their last six games while the Raptors are 12-3 against the spread in their last 15. The over has cashed in seven of the last nine Miami Heat games. Missing Kyle Lowry will obviously hurt, but the Heat have other guards that can get hot from beyond the arc and cover his scoring. The Raptors are coming off an amazing defensive performance against the Bucks, but you have to wonder if they can replicate the effort. Jimmy Butler is going to be looking to put that horrible shooting performance behind him. I’m going to make the Miami Heat team total over 106.5 points our official play here. Miami has cleared that total in eight of their last nine games, even eclipsing the number in losses.
Official Play: Miami Heat Team Total OVER 106.5
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Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors Preview from GoldSheet
Both of these teams have distinct “under” trends, with Dallas 15-4 scoring lower than expected at American Airlines Center this season (28-13 “under” overall) with HC Jason Kidd’s new emphasis on defense coming to fruition, while Oklahoma City is 24-18 “under” this season. The Mavericks have won five of the last six straight up against OKC, covering four of those games, but more pertinent to the situation is that the “under” is 2-0 this season in a pair of games when the Thunder scored only 86 and 85 points making the “under” 8-2-1 last 10 in the series. Mavs “under” 9-1 last 10 and ranks 29th in pace this season. You catch the drift.
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Monday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of guests for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors clash, from a betting perspective.
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Monday’s NBA games, including this Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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