The Los Angeles Lakers look to go up 3-1 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to make the NBA Finals a runaway series in Game 3, dropping the contest 115-104 to the Miami Heat. Now, instead of a 3-0 series, the Heat are back in it and could even up the series in Game 4.
This was a sloppy game all-around for the Lakers. They started the game in a rut that was caused by their own mistakes (turnovers) and could not keep pace with the Heat at the end of the game.
The Lakers were down five and LeBron James had an open three-point attempt with just over 90 seconds left in the game. If he hits that shot we might be writing a different article. Instead, he missed and the Heat were able to run away with the victory.
The Lakers were 10-point favorites in this game and lost outright, prompting Vegas to adjust the odds for Game 4. According to The Action Network, the Lakers are 7.5-point favorites in this game and the total is set at 219.
Betting picks for Game 4 of the NBA Finals:
We discussed the betting lines for Game 4 on the latest episode of the Lake Show Life Podcast.
As is pretty evident from the title, both Daniel and I picked the Lakers to cover the 7.5 points and beat the Heat by at least eight. However, Daniel picked the under for this game and I picked the over.
Quite frankly, though, the Heat’s Game 3 win was an anomaly. Jimmy Butler scored 40 points for the first time in three years and literally scored as much as Anthony Davis and LeBron James combined and the Heat still could have lost this game.
Butler is not going to do that again. We can chalk it up to the Lakers simply having a bad game but there is no way that he scores as much as AD and LeBron combined in a game again, let alone 40 points.
Miami did a fantastic job with their defensive adjustments in the zone, but they still have several negatives on the defensive end. The Lakers will make adjustments of their own and the tandem of Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro will burn the Heat.
AD and LeBron are going to be pissed off and just as they have after every other loss in the NBA Playoffs thus far, they will come back and take the action to the Heat, winning the game in the process.
Los Angeles Lakers -7.5 feels like a bonafide lock.