Just a little over two years ago, the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers played a six-game NBA Finals series in Orlando at what is referred to as the “Disney Bubble.”
The Lakers went on to win that series, LeBron James won his fourth Finals MVP Award and that chapter of the NBA will forever be remembered as a unique time.
In 2023, the two teams are much different around the edges but remain familiar at the top — James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers and Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the Heat. So, when the two link up on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, we should be in for a great game, right?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Neither James (illness) nor Davis (foot) will play against Miami, which moved the line earlier in the day from Lakers +3.5 to Lakers +8.5 at BetMGM. The absence of two superstar players puts the Lakers behind the 8-ball and makes this game harder to understand. And if you’re a bettor, you’ll need to really understand which players in this game are playing and what they’re capable of.
.@Lakers move from +3.5 to +8.5. https://t.co/CwcHkNDsTt
— John Ewing 🦁 (@johnewing) January 4, 2023
For instance, Russell Westbrook is playing tonight without Davis and James. He’s played much of his career as the lead domino, resulting in some great statistical outings. He has overs/unders of 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists, all numbers he should be able to pass.
It might be a good idea to pay attention to the player props of guys like Austin Reaves and Troy Brown who will likely see an expanded role on Wednesday night.
As for the Heat, this gets a little tougher. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have had their way with opponents as of late, but if this is a lopsided game (possible), how much action will they see down the stretch? If you think this game stays competitive throughout, Herro’s (20.5 points) and Adebayo’s (22.5) are good overs to consider.
Nevertheless, this 2020 Finals rematch should be an interesting one at Crypto.com Arena.
