Game 3 Nba Finals 2018 Odds
LeBron James and the Cavaliers come home to Cleveland for Game 3 trailing 0-2 in the 2018 NBA Finals. Can they steal a game from the Golden State Warriors, or will Stephen Curry & Co. continue rolling?
This section demonstrates a complete, structured future odds that we offer at Las Vegas Sports Betting 2021 NBA Championship; 2021 NCAA Mens Championship; 2021 Stanley Cup Odds; 2021 World Series Odds; 2022 CFP Championship Odds; 2022 Super Bowl LVI Odds; 2021 NASCAR Cup Series; 2021 F1 Championship; 2021 The Masters; 2021 PGA Championship. As of May 2, the odds of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers colliding in the NBA Finals were sitting at +423. That wager paid out handsomely for anyone who backed it at that price, as the powerhouses are set to meet in the 2018 Finals for the fourth year in a row. The Los Angeles Lakers took a commanding 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals with their 124-114 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Without the services of point guard Goran Dragic, who tore the plantar fascia in his left foot, and Bam Adebayo, who missed the game with a strained neck, Miami is essentially drawing dead. Fortunately for sportsbooks, the point spread is gambling’s greatest. See game odds, spread and total for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat on Sunday, October 4th. LA leads the best-of-7 series 2-0. The 2018 NBA Finals isn’t expected to last much longer. The Golden State Warriors have a 2-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they are favored as they head on the road.
Here are the best ways to bet Game 3 from Erin Rynning and Andrew Han.
Note: All odds via Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of June 5.
Golden State Warriors (-190) at Cleveland Cavaliers (+160)
Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET in Cleveland
Spread: Warriors -5
Over/under: 216.5
Rynning: Down two games, it's obviously desperation time for the Cavaliers. It'll be difficult for James to step up any more than he already has, but as we've seen throughout this postseason and his career, these types of situations tend to bring out his best. Outside of James, I do look for Cleveland to shoot better from the outside as a team at home. The Cavs netted only 29.7 percent of their 3-pointers in Games 1 and 2, and they had similar numbers in their two road losses to open up their Eastern Conference finals series against the Boston Celtics. Cleveland shot an abysmal 14-of-57 (24.6 percent) from 3 in Games 1 and 2 of that series, but down 0-2 and back on the home floor, it busted out for 17-of-34 (50 percent) en route to an easy 116-86 victory.
The other thing to consider is Golden State's tendency to 'flip the switch' on and off. Prime examples of this were Games 1, 3, 6 and 7 of the West finals against the Houston Rockets, when we saw the Warriors outscore the Rockets by margins of 13, 20, 39 and 20, respectively, in the second half. There remains a massive talent gap, which was on full display in Golden State's easy 122-103 Game 2 victory. However, I still feel Cleveland is capable and likely sitting on a big effort, enough so to back the Cavaliers in the first half.
Prediction: Warriors 109, Cavaliers 108
Best bet: Cavaliers in the first half (-120)
Han: With two games of the Finals as data points, the gestalt laws of grouping would suggest that the brain will identify patterns and instances of continuity. So what points of good continuation can be derived as the series shifts to Cleveland?
In Game 2, the Cavaliers let the rope slip in the second quarter, floating an anemic 18 points to close the first half and notching the first-half total at 105. In Game 1, James posted an efficient 24 points in the first half and got contributions from Kevin Love (12 points), JR Smith (seven points) and an unexpected Larry Nance Jr. (eight points). And even then, the combined first-half total between the Cavs and Warriors registered at 112.
While Cleveland has performed better throughout the postseason at home, it's difficult to envision dramatically improved production versus the Game 1 output. Consider this: Throughout the playoffs, the Cavs have posted a 116.1 offensive rating at home in the first half. In Game 1, LeBron & Co. put up a 117.1 offensive rating with massive production from the team's best player. Going under on Game 3's first-half total feels like a reasonable option for the pivot most speculate is Cleveland's last best shot.
Prediction: Warriors 109, Cavaliers 102
Best bet: Under 110.5 first-half points (-110)
Mar 4, 2020; Dallas, Texas, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball (2) reacts after scoring during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers take on Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat on Sunday evening in Orlando. The Lakers and Heat square off in Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Finals, with the Lakers winning the first two games in the series. Miami will look for its first win with the potential of injury-related absences, as Bam Adebayo (neck) and Goran Dragic (foot) are officially listed as doubtful to play.
Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Finals is set to get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET. William Hill lists the Lakers as 9.5-point favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 219.5 in the latest Lakers vs. Heat odds. Before you make any Heat vs. Lakers picks for Game 3, be sure to see the NBA predictions from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it's already returned over $5,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks this season. It entered the 2020 NBA Finals on a blistering 61-33 run on top-rated NBA spread picks, returning almost $2,500 on those picks alone. It's also a sizzling 11-3 on top-rated picks since the NBA's restart in July. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Lakers vs. Heat. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA odds from William Hill and trends for Heat vs. Lakers:
- Lakers vs. Heat spread: Lakers -9.5
- Lakers vs. Heat over-under: 219.5 points
- Lakers vs. Heat money line: Lakers -475, Heat +380
- LAL: The Lakers are 6-2-2 against the spread in the last 10 games
- MIA: The Heat are 5-4-1 against the spread in the last 10 games
Why the Lakers can cover
Video: Dwyane Wade thinks Anthony Davis pairs better with LeBron James than any other teammate (Yahoo! Sports)
Nba Finals Odds Vegas
No team has a more potent duo in the NBA than the Lakers, with James and Davis stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis. James is averaging 27.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game in the playoffs, with Davis adding 29.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in the postseason.
That pairing leads the Lakers to an elite level on both ends of the court. The Lakers enter Sunday's Game 3 averaging 114.6 points per game on offense in the postseason. Los Angeles scored 124 points in Game 2, with five players scoring in double figures. Defensively, the Lakers are giving up just 106.5 points per game in the playoffs. In addition, the Lakers enter Sunday's showdown having won 10 of their last 11 games.
Why the Heat can cover
While the Heat haven't been operating at full strength, Butler remains a star-level player. Butler is averaging 24.0 points, 9.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game so far in the series, and he also gives Miami a two-way presence with his strong defense. On the whole, the Heat are one of the best offensive teams in the playoffs, scoring 1.13 points per possession, and that has continued against the Lakers.
Game 3 Nba Finals 2018 Odds Nfl
In fact, Miami boasts an impressive 70.3 percent assist rate against Los Angeles, and the Heat are generating 2.89 assists for every turnover in the series. Defensively, Miami has its hands full, but the Heat can take solace in their bevy of shooters, leading to a team-wide true shooting percentage of 58.9 percent in the postseason.
How to make Lakers vs. Heat picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, with Kyle Kuzma projected to fall short of his season-long scoring average and the Heat projected to operate without two top scorers. It also says one side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Heat vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Lakers vs. Heat spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $5,000 on its top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.