Will the scorching Heat burn away the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Thunder vs Heat NBA Betting Game Preview (Dec. 3, 2015)

Written by on December 2, 2015

Teams that rely a little too heavily on one player often run into trouble when he gets hurt or has an off night or two. Ideally, you want to have 2 or 3 top players in the team, so that the others can cover when one goes down. That is what Oklahoma City have been doing this NBA betting season in the absence of Kevin Durant, and now that he is back, we are finally getting a look at how good this Thunder team might actually be. Their next stop will be in Miami where they will face a very good Heat team. Betting Odds and Game Preview Date: Thursday, December 03, 2015 Time: 7:00 PM ET Venue: American Airlines Arena Read Schedule Here Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder Fans in OKC have eagerly been awaiting the return of Kevin Durant, and he certainly did not let them down when he returned to the Thunder (11-7) line-up. In his first three games back, the Thunder cranked out a trio of double digit victories, with Durant being the top scoring player on the court in each of them. It was a pace that was always going to be tough to keep, and OKC were brought back to earth a little with a 106-100 loss in Atlanta. The Thunder have a pretty tough run of games coming their way over the next couple of weeks, which will give us a better idea of where this team might be in relation to the rest of the teams in the NBA. As it stands at the moment, they are at or near the top in scoring and rebounding, but down near the bottom in points allowed per game average. The manner and speed at which this team can score means that they are likely to win more than their fair share of games, even with a suspect defense. Will the mighty Thunder dispel the scorching Miami Heat? Betting on the Miami Heat The Miami Heat (10-6) currently have the lead in the Southeast Division, but they are looking over their shoulder at an Atlanta Hawks team that seems to be ready to roll again. The Heat are an impressive 7-3 in their last 10 games, and have used home court advantage to rack up the majority of their wins this season. That said, they are coming off a 105-95 loss at home to the Boston Celtics on Monday night, and now have Oklahoma, Cleveland, and Washington as their next 3 opponents, albeit on home court. That is a stretch of games that is going to really test just how good this Miami defense, and Hassan Whiteside in particular, really is. The big man has been magnificent to start the season, and already has 70 blocked shots though the first 15 games of the season. Thunder vs Heat Key Betting Trends Oklahoma City is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games Oklahoma City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City’s last 6 games Oklahoma City is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road Oklahoma City is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road Miami is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games Miami is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Miami’s last 15 games Miami is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home Miami is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home What Should You Consider Before Placing Your Bets? The Miami Heat are a tough nut to crack at home, but the Thunder were able to sweep them aside pretty easily the last time they were there. I expect things to be a little closer this time around, and I also like the UNDER to hit in this one.