It’s not quite the NHL trade deadline, but there’s still some excitement for Thursday’s weekly doubleheader in the NBA on TNT. Two of the league’s biggest superstars will do battle in Florida, while there should be a shootout in the desert in the late game.
Lakers vs Heat odds – Thursday, March 4, 8:00 PM ET
The Heat should be favored at home, and even though they’ve dropped five of their last six against the Lakers overall, the Heat have beaten the Lakers in four of the last five meetings in Miami. The first meeting came on December 4th, when Kobe Bryant hit a three-point bank shot over Dwyane Wade to give the Lakers a 108-107 win in Los Angeles. Bryant is a little than fresher than Wade, who came back from a calf injury two games ago, and the Heat supporting cast isn’t much better than a college team, even at home. They won’t keep it that close with the Lakers again.
Jazz vs Suns odds – Thursday, March 4, 10:30 PM ET
The Suns should be favored at home, where they are 23-7. They’ll be out to avenge a 124-115 loss in Utah on January 25th, in which Andrei Kirilenko went for 25 points, while Carlos Boozer dominated his matchup with Amare Stoudamire, going for 21 points and 20 boards while Stoudamire had just 16 and five rebounds. The Jazz did lose in Los Angeles to the Clippers on Monday, but the Suns will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday, so the Jazz will be rested, and we all know that the Suns just ended an 18-game losing streak on TNT with a win over Dallas on January. Take Utah for the upset on the road.