Heat visits Spurs for Game 3 of NBA Finals
The NBA finals roll into Texas tonight with game 3 between the visiting Miami Heat and the host San Antonio Spurs. After games 1 and 2 in Miami, the series is all tied at 1-1. Games 3, 4 and 5 will be played in San Antonio under the home-away 2-3-2 format the finals use.
Miami used a late third quarter early fourth quarter run of 33-5 to put away the game on Sunday night. Miami coasted to a 103-84 victory led by the overall play of league MVP LeBron James and point guard Mario Chalmers.
James did not play well through the first three quarters of the game but when he had to come through late in the third and the start of the fourth he did. James finished with 17 points, grabbed eight boards, dished out seven assists and blocked three shots. However, he hit just 7 of his 17 shots from the floor. Chalmers led the Heat with 19 points on the night.
San Antonio, even though they lost game 2, still must be pleased with winning one game in Miami and know they have helped to keep James off rhythm. The Spurs defense has held the Heat high scorer to just a combined 35 points over the first two games.
Going into the series, San Antonio Head Coach Gregg Popovich wanted the other Heat players besides James to beat them. In game 1, they did not, but in game 2, they succeeded. The Heat hit 10 of its 19 shots from three-point range and Ray Allen had 12 points and Chris Bosh 10, both players who did very little in game 1.
San Antonio is pleased with how Danny Green played in game 2, as he was 6 of 6 from the floor including 5 three-point baskets.
However, the strength of the Spurs offense Tony Parker and Tim Duncan had off nights. Parker scored just 13 points hitting only 5 of his 14 shots, while Duncan missed 8 of his 11 shots and scored a dismal 9 points.
A big part of the Spurs downfall was turnovers. Miami forced the Spurs into 17 turnovers on the night, when they only committed four in the entire first game of the series. Those 17 turnovers led directly to 19 Miami points at the other end.
Odds makers have the Spurs as the favorite at home by 2 points, but Miami is 6-1 SU and ATS if they are an underdog over their past seven games in that scenario dating to the beginning of this past regular season.
San Antonio however has a record of 8-3 SU as well as 7-3-1 ATS as the favorite by 3 points or less on their home court. The UNDER in those same 11 games has cashed out 8 times.
I like the Spurs and the UNDER, but to get all the odds and trends on tonight’s game click here.
