Thunder Faces Heat in South Beach
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder begins a three-game road trip Wednesday with a stopover in South Florida and an eagerly-anticipated showdown with the Miami Heat.
Tip-off at American Airlines Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
A rematch of the 2012 NBA Finals, the game marks the first time the two sides have met since Valentine’s Day last year.
Oklahoma City (36-10, 16-7 road) enters the game looking to build on an eight-game winning streak that has seen the team rise to the top of the Western Conference.
The Thunder will also be looking to snap a six-game losing streak against the Heat, a streak that dates back to those same finals.
Kevin Durant has been the focal point of the Thunder offense as the team has scored win after win. Durant, the league’s leading scorer, has tallied 30-plus points in 11 straight games and 15 of the last 17.
On the season, Durant’s numbers (31.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 5.APG) are all above his career average.
This offensive onslaught has helped the Thunder navigate Russell Westbrook’s knee injury, but head coach Scott Brooks has to have a niggling fear that piling so much pressure on Durant could be detrimental to the team in the long run.
Durant missed Friday’s win over the Boston Celtics with a shoulder injury but returned for games against the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks, in which he combined for 73 points.
Understandably, Durant now appears to be the frontrunner in this year’s MVP race. His astronomical numbers and ability to help his team consistently win have been noted by most league observers, including TNT analyst and Hall of Famer, Reggie Miller. Miller has reportedly said that he believes Durant is already the MVP.
Miami (32-12, 19-3 home) has an MVP candidate of its own though.
LeBron James is averaging 26.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, and has led the Heat to the second best record in the Eastern Conference. The four-time MVP has made it look easy as well.
James and the Heat have won three straight and five of the last six all told. But it’s the team’s play at home that has been worth writing home about. The Heat has won five in a row at American Airlines Arena and 10 of the last 11.
On Sunday, the Heat easily dispatched the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals.
Dwyane Wade came off the bench in that game after missing four straight games. His eight points and five assists helped the Heat – who had an entire roster available for the first time this season – climb to a big lead over the Spurs, before holding out for the win.
Wade is expected to return to the starting lineup Wednesday.
The question then is can the full-strength Heat slow down Kevin Durant and score what would be a huge win over the Thunder?
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat odds for 01/29/2014
Miami’s home record and recent dominance over Oklahoma City was enough to see the Thunder open as underdogs.
Miami has defeated Oklahoma City in five straight meetings, dating back to the 2012 NBA Finals. The Heat has also handed the Thunder five straight losses at American Airlines Arena.
The spread opened at 4.
Oklahoma City (27-19-0 ATS) has fared better against the spread than Miami (20-24-0 ATS) this season, and seemingly have advantages across the board.
The Thunder is 14-9-0 ATS on the road compared to Miami’s 8-14-0 ATS at home. The Thunder is 5-3-0 ATS as an underdog, while Miami is 19-23-0 ATS as the favorite.
But Miami has found ways to beat the spread against Oklahoma City. The Heat has covered the spread in six straight meetings between the sides and the last five played in South Florida. Can they do the same on Wednesday?
The over/under opened at 205 and has dropped slightly to 204 in recent hours.
Oklahoma City (22-24-0) has favored the under while Miami (27-17-0) has favored the over.
The total has gone over in 10 of Miami’s last 13 games but four of Oklahoma City’s last six visits to Miami have ended with the total going under.
The Thunder and Heat will meet once more this regular season, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City on February 20.
Dwyane Wade is expected to return to the starting lineup after coming off the bench on Sunday.
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