The Miami Heat will host the Los Angeles Lakers in what should be a fun contest Monday night inside the Kayesa Center in Miami, Florida. They tip it off at 7:30 pm. The Lakers will be looking for their first road win of the season. Bookmaker has the Heat installed as a slim two-point favorite. 

Miami Heat Betting Preview

The Heat (2-4) look to make it two straight wins after dropping four straight games. They have not had the type of start of the season they envisioned but the league knows they can go on a tear at any moment. 

Miami has three big time scorers on their team, including veteran Jimmy Butler and young rising star Tyler Herro, and let's not forget center Bam Adebayo, who also is a solid rim protector and defender. 

Adebayo is averaging 21 a game but it is his defense at the other end of the floor that has been impressive over the course of his career. He rips down seven rebounds a game and adds close to two blocks. 

Miami knows they need to push the pace and they also know they need their guards to attack the rim with reckless abandonment. They need to do a better job of getting to the line and that is why they need to put the ball on the floor and create and make plays. 

Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview

The Lakers (3-3) have gotten off to a solid start and they know their championship window is closing, so they want to go all in this season. They are led by future HOF'er LeBron James who is once again playing a ton of minutes earlier this season. 

Look for the Lakers to get the ball in James hands early and often. He has had some big games against the Heat in his career and he needs to also get some help from his teammates as well. James is coming in averaging 24 points per game and teammate Anthony Davis is netting a team-high 26 points per game. They need to get Davis going as well and also get him going in transitional as well. 

The Lakers can not knock open shots and they will try to take advantage of a Miami defense that has had some issues guarding the perimeter. They need to hit their clean looks as they come into this game connecting on a very solid 47% from the floor, including 30% from beyond the arc.

Game Odds, Series Trends and Free Pick 

The Heat are 1-4 in their last five games and 1-4 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 1-2 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in three of their last five games and the totals have gone over in one of the Heat's last three games at home. The Lakers are 3-2 in their last five games and 1-4 in their last five games against the number. They are also 0-3 in their road games against the spread.