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**TheGame** · 05-05-2016, 07:12 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/5

Thursday's NBA playoffs betting preview and odds: Heat at Raptors

Once again there is only one game on the NBA Playoff schedule and it's Game 2 between the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors. We break down all the action so you can cap the game like a pro.

Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors (-4.5, 188)

Heat lead series 1-0

The Toronto Raptors have been waiting for their All-Star backcourt to step up in the postseason, and aside from one moment in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, they are still waiting. The Raptors will try to get more out of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan and even the series when they host the Miami Heat in Game 2 on Thursday.

DeRozan shot 31.9 percent from the floor in a seven-game victory over the Indiana Pacers in the first round and went 9-of-22 from the floor on Tuesday while Lowry has been even worse, shooting 31.6 percent against the Pacers and slumping to 3-of-13 in Game 1 against the Heat. "I'm trying to get my touch back. I don't know where it's at," Lowry told reporters. "It's kind of mind-boggling right now, and it's frustrating, but I'm not going to shy away from the criticism or anything. I’m going to continue to be aggressive and take shots.” The Miami backcourt carried the team through the final two games of its first-round series against the Charlotte Hornets and stepped up again against Toronto with a combined 50 points from Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade. Wade, who picked up his 100th career playoff victory with the 102-96 overtime triumph, scored seven of his 24 points in the extra period and stole the ball from DeRozan with four seconds left to seal the win.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

LINE HISTORY: The Raptors opened as 4.5-point favorites for Game 2 after dropping the opener Tuesday night. The total opened at 188.5 and came down a point to 187.5 by Wednesday evening. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE HEAT (53-37, 48-41-1 ATS, 37-52-1 O/U): Miami squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before regrouping for overtime and credited injured forward Chris Bosh for keeping the team focused at the start of the extra period. "(Bosh) was huge in that timeout," Dragic told reporters. "When (Lowry) hit that shot, most other teams would think it's over. We didn't. We kind of (flipped) the switch and tried to make something positive from that. (Bosh) said, 'OK, it's our first game. We're playing in a hostile environment. We still have five minutes to go, and we're in a good position.’” Bosh is reportedly in a dispute with the Heat over his medical condition, with the team exercising caution and keeping him off the floor against his wishes.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (60-30, 47-43 ATS, 44-45-1 O/U): Lowry went from the high of sending the game into overtime with a halfcourt buzzer-beater to missing his only shot in overtime as Toronto fell. “I have but not at this time, so that's what's frustrating,” Lowry told reporters when asked if he has been in shooting slumps like this before. “In the playoffs, all eyes are on you. It sucks to be playing this bad with all eyes on me. I know I'm better than this, so I have to pick this (stuff) up.” Lowry has not shot better than 38.1 percent in any of his eight games this postseason and stayed in the gym after finishing up with his media responsibilities on Tuesday to shoot jumpers.

TRENDS:

* Heat are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Raptors are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Under is 6-1 in Heat last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Over is 4-1 in Raptors last 5 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Heat are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Toronto.

**TheGame** · 05-05-2016, 07:12 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/5

Preview: Heat (48-34) at Raptors (56-26)

Date: May 05, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

It took the Toronto Raptors 15 years to get this far again, and Kyle Lowry knows they won't go further if he doesn't play better.

The Raptors need Lowry to play the way Goran Dragic is.

'I know the pressure I put on myself. I know we won't advance if I don't play better,' Lowry said Wednesday. 'I have to play better for us to be a good team and win games.'

With Lowry faltering and Dragic flourishing, the Miami Heat aim to win the point guard matchup in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday night in Toronto.

A day after announcing that Chris Bosh wouldn't return in the postseason, the Heat can quickly move halfway to ending Toronto's first second-round appearance since 2001.

Toronto rode its backcourt of Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to a franchise-record 56 victories and the No. 2 seed in the East, but those All-Stars were outplayed by Dragic and Dwyane Wade in Miami's 102-96 overtime victory Tuesday night in the series opener.

Dragic followed his huge Game 7 that got the Heat past Charlotte in the first round by scoring 26 points, while Wade had 24 and some big defensive plays.

'Goran just wants to win,' Wade said. 'That's all he talked about, was getting back to the playoffs and feeling how it feels to be a part of winning. Right now he's in a good offensive groove for us, but he's always going to do what it takes to win and that's all we care about.'

Lowry was limited to seven points, hitting the halfcourt heave that forced overtime but otherwise missing from everywhere else on the floor in a 3-for-13 performance. DeRozan scored 22 points and shot 9 for 22, which isn't great but was well above his 33 percent in the postseason.

Lowry is at 30.6 percent and his confidence looks as shaky as his shot, and he appeared to pass up some open looks in Game 1. He worked on his shot until after 1 a.m. following Game 1, first on the Raptors' practice court and then on the main court, in an effort to rediscover a shot that's missing.

'I've had a few struggles like this in my NBA career, but nothing this big,' Lowry said. 'What makes it worse is that it's the playoffs.'

The Heat and Bosh announced Wednesday that he wouldn't play again this season, ending speculation in recent days that the All-Star forward would try to return during the playoffs.

Bosh has not played since the All-Star break after a blood clot was discovered in his left leg. Without him, the Heat have relied on some strong perimeter play - they were 8 for 11 from 3-point range Tuesday - and center Hassan Whiteside, who grabbed 17 rebounds in Game 1 after hurting his knee and briefly leaving the game in the first half.

Meanwhile, the Heat seem as puzzled as the Raptors by Lowry's struggles.

'It's surprising to me that he's struggled in the playoffs because I know him well,' Dragic said. 'We played together in Houston. He was always a confident guy and he's already played so many games and made so many big shots that it's a little bit surprising. Everybody goes through those moments when you've lost the touch a little bit.'

If it doesn't come back, perhaps the Raptors would give more playing time to backup point guard Cory Joseph, who scored 10 points in Game 1 and is shooting 58 percent in the postseason, tops on the team.

They could also continue featuring center Jonas Valanciunas, who scored 24 points in the opener.

But the Raptors know their best shot is with Lowry.

'He needs to get through it,' coach Dwane Casey said. 'We're not going to change the offense or anything like that. We believe in him.'

The series moves to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday.

**TheGame** · 05-05-2016, 07:12 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/5

NBA Odds and Picks: Thursday and Friday Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews

The Miami Heat situation continues to get more interesting. Now the NBA Players' Association wants to meet with the team over the Chris Bosh issue. Bosh believes he's ready to return from his blood-clot problem and traveled with the team to Toronto for the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Yet the Heat continue to be very quiet and vague on the whole situation but have made it pretty clear he's not playing this season. I guess my question is: If Bosh signs a waiver whereby the Heat and NBA avoid any fault if he happened to die on the court, what's holding Miami back here? ESPN's Dan Le Batard, also a Miami Herald writer, has reported that Bosh has received a medical opinion clearing him to play. But the Heat medical people clearly don't agree. Not sure what the union can do to force the issue.

Thursday's Game 2: No. 3 Heat at No. 2 Raptors (-4.5, 188.5)

This line is the same as Game 1 when I previewed it but the total is 2.5 points lower. I liked the Heat in Game 1 -- and this series -- and the under. I would have been right on both counts if Toronto's Kyle Lowry hadn't made perhaps the most memorable shot in franchise history, a half-court buzzer-beater to send that game to overtime. However, the Heat quickly took control in the extra period and won 102-96. Why did I like the Heat to win this series? They have the best player on the floor in Dwyane Wade. And he was great in the opener with 24 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Although the Heat were outscored by four points with him on the court -- that's why some people hate that plus/minus rating. Goran Dragic also was strong with 26 points and six rebounds as the Heat backcourt thoroughly outplayed Toronto's. The Heat improved to 5-1 this when Wade (who did bruise his knee in Game 1) and Dragic combined to score at least 50 points.

That Raptors backcourt was an issue in the Pacers' first-round series -- Toronto was only the second team in NBA history to win a playoff series while its top two scorers shot less than 33 percent -- and it continued in Game 1. DeMar DeRozan had 22 points but was 9-for-22. And I have no clue what is wrong with All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry. He was just 3-for-13 for seven points with five fouls. His only make in seven 3-point tries was that miracle shot. Apparently Lowry is being bothered by some right elbow pain and had fluid drained from it in March. He shot only 33 percent from the floor in the final eight games of the regular season and is down to 30.6 percent in the playoffs. That's the worst postseason percentage by any NBA player in the past 50 years with a minimum of 100 attempts. The Raptors are getting swept if he doesn't shake it off.

Series line: Heat -180, Raptors +160

Key trends: The Heat are 4-1 against the spread in their past five after scoring at least 100 points in their previous game. The Raptors are 1-4 ATS in their past five at home. The "over/under" has gone under in five of Miami's past six on the road. The under is 7-2 in Toronto's past nine.

Early lean: No reason to change my mind now as Wade says his knee is no big deal. Heat and under again.

Friday's Game 3: No. 2 Spurs at No. 3 Thunder (+2, 198.5)

Not sure I've ever seen an ending like Game 2 of this Western Conference semifinal, a 98-97 Thunder road win. I'm positive I've never seen a TV analyst go so bonkers -- and be right -- than when TNT's Chris Webber kept screaming "That's An Offensive Foul!" I think the way he said it at first confused both partner Marv Albert and the audience. But Webber meant that Oklahoma City's Dion Waiters gave the Spurs' Manu Ginobili a forearm to the chest as Waiters was trying to inbound the ball the final seconds. That pass would be eventually stolen and lead to a wild sequence at the Thunder basket as the Spurs were trying to win the game. I still have no clue why Ginobili didn't shoot the ball in the lane and instead kicked it out to Patty Mills for a 3-pointer. The NBA admitted after the game that the officials missed a whopping five calls in the final 13.5 seconds, including that offensive foul on Waiters. The NBA Referees' Association said it had never seen a player do what Waiters had before -- neither had I.

If there's one team that will put something like that behind it, it's the incredibly well-coached and calm Spurs. They obviously need to do a better job offensively on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Those two struggled in Game 1 but combined for 57 points in Game 2. Steven Adams was also huge with 12 points and 17 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge has been the best player of this series and had 41 points to lead the Spurs in the loss. But Kawhi Leonard had 14, Tony Parker seven and Tim Duncan two. The Spurs shot 43 percent as a team after shooting 61 percent in the series opener. Yet they still nearly won. It was only San Antonio's second home loss all season. The Thunder had to have that one considering that teams that won at least 65 regular-season games who also went up 2-0 in a playoff series are 35-0 all-time in those series.

Series line: Spurs -290, Thunder +245

Key trends: San Antonio was 1-1 ATS on the road in the first round against Memphis and 1-1 O/U. OKC was 1-2 ATS in the first round at home vs. Dallas and 1-2 O/U.

Early lean: Thunder and over.

**TheGame** · 05-05-2016, 07:13 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/5

NBA

Thursday's game

Miami-Toronto (M 1-0)
Toronto tied game dramatically at end of regulation, then lost in OT as Dragic had 26 points for Heat, which was -9 in 12:00 he was off floor. Miami lost four of last six games with Toronto, losing three of last four games in Canada, losing by 8ot-20-10 points. Home side won seven of last ten series games. Heat lost three of last five road games; five of their last six games stayed under total, as have seven of last nine Raptor tilts. Toronto won three of last four home games. Toronto was -16 in 12:00 without Valanciunas on floor, +10 when he was playingr.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 5-2, over: 4-3

**Satch** · 05-05-2016, 09:12 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/5

Preview: Miami At Toronto

When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, May 5, 2016
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Matchup Edge

MIA	Edge in:	TOR
	Points Per Game
	Field Goal %
	Free Throw %
	Defense
	Rebounding
	Turn Overs
	Bench

The Toronto Raptors have been waiting for their All-Star backcourt to step up in the postseason, and aside from one moment in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, they are still waiting. The Raptors will try to get more out of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan and even the series when they host the Miami Heat in Game 2 on Thursday.

DeRozan shot 31.9 percent from the floor in a seven-game victory over the Indiana Pacers in the first round and went 9-of-22 from the floor on Tuesday while Lowry has been even worse, shooting 31.6 percent against the Pacers and slumping to 3-of-13 in Game 1 against the Heat. "I'm trying to get my touch back. I don't know where it's at," Lowry told reporters. "It's kind of mind-boggling right now, and it's frustrating, but I'm not going to shy away from the criticism or anything. I’m going to continue to be aggressive and take shots.” The Miami backcourt carried the team through the final two games of its first-round series against the Charlotte Hornets and stepped up again against Toronto with a combined 50 points from Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade. Wade, who picked up his 100th career playoff victory with the 102-96 overtime triumph, scored seven of his 24 points in the extra period and stole the ball from DeRozan with four seconds left to seal the win.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT THE HEAT: Miami squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before regrouping for overtime and credited injured forward Chris Bosh for keeping the team focused at the start of the extra period. "(Bosh) was huge in that timeout," Dragic told reporters. "When (Lowry) hit that shot, most other teams would think it's over. We didn't. We kind of (flipped) the switch and tried to make something positive from that. (Bosh) said, 'OK, it's our first game. We're playing in a hostile environment. We still have five minutes to go, and we're in a good position.’” Bosh is reportedly in a dispute with the Heat over his medical condition, with the team exercising caution and keeping him off the floor against his wishes.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS: Lowry went from the high of sending the game into overtime with a halfcourt buzzer-beater to missing his only shot in overtime as Toronto fell. “I have but not at this time, so that's what's frustrating,” Lowry told reporters when asked if he has been in shooting slumps like this before. “In the playoffs, all eyes are on you. It sucks to be playing this bad with all eyes on me. I know I'm better than this, so I have to pick this (stuff) up.” Lowry has not shot better than 38.1 percent in any of his eight games this postseason and stayed in the gym after finishing up with his media responsibilities on Tuesday to shoot jumpers.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Heat C Hassan Whiteside left the court after suffering a strained knee on Tuesday but returned and finished with 17 rebounds in 39 minutes.

2. Toronto reserve SF Terrence Ross scored a playoff career-high 19 points in Game 1.

3. Wade needs five points to pass Scottie Pippen (3,642) for 15th place on the all-time playoff scoring list.

PREDICTION: Raptors 106, Heat 103

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NBA Betting Info. 5/5

NBA Betting Info. 5/5

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