Knicks searching for first series win against Heat

[Betfair]

The Miami Heat have had plenty of time off leading into tonight's contest against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden

At the time of this writing, the board is Miami Heat -3.5 (1.98, -102) and New York Knicks +3.5 (2, Even)

Miami will look to win its eighth straight game over New York tonight when facing off at Madison Square Garden with one of the "Big Three" members being sidelines indefinitely. The Heat's headline-making trio haven't played together since January 12 and will likely continue to use a smaller lineup against opponents. "Searching for lineups that look comfortable," said coach Erik Spoelstra. "Sometimes it happens at the wrong time, when you're playing your best basketball." The team is 31-13 overall on the season and has compiled an 8-3 mark against Eastern Conference opponents away from South Beach. Miami is 6-1 ATS as a road favorite of 3.5 to 6 points this season.

The Heat and Knicks meet for the third of four match-ups this season, with Miami leading the season-series, 2-0. Last season, Miami swept the season-series, 3-0, and has won seven consecutive games versus New York. The two teams have dramatically different approaches on the defensive end, as the Heat are allowing nearly 13 points less per game (106.3-93.9). The squad should have plenty in the tank to put together another strong defensive effort tonight due to last playing on January 22, which happened to be a 120-103 victory over Toronto that snapped a four-game losing streak.

New York knows that it will need to rely heavily upon star forward Amare Stoudemire to have any chance of picking up its first victory against Miami tonight. He is averaging 27.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in two games against the Heat, including a 30-point effort in a 106-98 loss on December 28. The Knicks are 11-9 overall at home this season, including a 7-4 mark against Eastern Conference opponents.

The team recently snapped a six-game losing streak Monday with a 115-106 win against Washington. "We knew how important this game was," Stoudemire said. "We all pretty much showed the urgency to get this win." New York is 17-5 ATS as an underdog this season and 27-15 ATS in all games.

The Knicks will be playing the front end of their 12th of 21 back-to-back sets this season tonight. New York is 5-6 in the first game and will be playing Miami for the second time this season when playing the front end of a home-away set. The defense must focus on stopping Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who is averaging 33 points and 8.5 rebounds in two meetings this season. he scored a career-high 55 against the Knicks on March 12, 2009.

Bettors will be interested in backing the Knicks due to 23-10-1 ATS mark, while the Heat are 7-17 ATS on three or more days of rest.