Heat vs Lakers Odds and Picks

• The Heat face the Lakers on Wednesday, November 10th
• Miami is a 3.5-point road favorite
• Read on for the odds, preview, and best bet

The Miami Heat continue their five-game road trip on Wednesday, November 10th in LA as they take on the Lakers. Tip-off is scheduled for 10pm ET at The Staples Center.

Miami is coming off a disappointing loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday, while Los Angeles most recently secured an OT victory over the Charlotte Hornets despite blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.

This is the first time this season the two teams will meet, but the Heat did win both contests last year.

Heat vs Lakers Odds

Odds as of November 9th at Fanduel.

Miami Looking Like The Full Package

Although the Heat has lost two of their last three games, as a whole, they’ve looked fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball. Miami is top-5 in the league in offensive and defensive rating, while proving to be one of the best shooting squads around so far.

Jimmy Butler is showing out, averaging 25.3 points, six rebounds, and 5.5 assists. Bam Adebayo is also putting up impressive numbers, but the big storyline is Tyler Herro. The third-year guard has taken a big jump through his first 10 games, dropping 20 points per night and shooting a sharp 40% from three-point land. Kyle Lowry has also been a nice addition, giving Miami experience, tremendous playmaking, and stout defense.

However, the Nuggets contest is certainly one that Erik Spoelstra’s group will want to forget. They weren’t exactly awful, with six different players finishing in double-digits scoring.

Butler dropped a team-high 31, while Duncan Robinson added 13. However, the Heat committed 13 turnovers which turned into 22 points for Denver, and were absolutely bullied in the paint, getting outscored 50-26 and outrebounded 49-37.

Frustrating night pic.twitter.com/vHhilpw2ms

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 9, 2021

To put that into perspective, Miami is the best team in the Association when it comes to grabbing boards. Needless to say, it was an off night in that regard.

In fact, the Heat essentially trailed for the entire game after going into halftime down 64-49. Nikola Jokic and Will Barton tore them apart, combining for 50 points. The Joker drilled Markieff Morris after Morris elbowed the Serbian with just minutes left in the final period. Drama ensued and both players were ultimately ejected.

Morris left with an apparent neck injury and is out against the Lakers. PJ Tucker, Adebayo, and Herro are all dealing with minor ailments as well and are questionable on Wednesday, which means the rotation could be looking very thin.

Lakers Coming Off a Good Performance

It’s been a rough start to the season for Los Angeles, with LeBron James missing multiple games and Russell Westbrook struggling to make an impact as the third star they hoped he would be. But, Monday’s showing is definitely something to build off. The Lakers took down the struggling Hornets, thanks to a phenomenal offensive display from AD, Russ, and Carmelo Anthony.

Davis erupted for 32 points to go along with 12 rebounds, scoring six of the team’s 11 points in overtime. Westbrook, meanwhile, registered his second triple-double with LA, with 17 points, 12 boards, and 14 assists. ‘Melo also dropped 29 off the bench and shot 7-for-10 from long range. This was the Lakers’ first win this season without LeBron and it’s exactly how they need to play when their floor general isn’t available.

The shots were landing for LA against Charlotte, shooting 41% from beyond the arc and 48% from the field. Frank Vogel’s squad was capitalizing off the Hornets’ mistakes too, translating 18 turnovers into a whopping 33 points. The trio of Russ, Melo, and AD are going to be so important to the Lakers, and if Monday’s performance can be replicated vs Miami, especially if they’re missing key guys, LA has a real chance at another victory here.

🗣️ MELO! MELO! 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/jjBNVU4iBW

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 9, 2021

Bron is still out but he has started to do some on-court work. Davis is dealing with a small thumb injury but he’s expected to suit up on Wednesday. It’s also important to note that five of the Lakers’ six wins have come at The Staples Center.

Heat vs Lakers Prediction

Given how many important players are questionable for Miami, it’s hard to side with them. It’s so early in the campaign which means Spoelstra isn’t likely to push Adebayo, Tucker, or Herro to play if they’re not feeling 100%.

The Lakers, meanwhile, just showed out and most importantly, Westbrook and Davis found chemistry. I like LA on the moneyline.

Pick: Lakers ML (+134)