Miami vs Toronto Pro Hoops Playoffs Game 5 Free Pick

Sure, there are no Steph Curry heroics taking place, but the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors are staging their own thrilling playoff series, even if it is suddenly being overshadowed by the two-time league MVP’s latest record-setting theatrics. With their Eastern Conference semifinal series all tied up at two games apiece, DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors will look to ‘hold down the fort’ and take a 3-2 series lead when they host Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Now, let’s find out which team is going to win and cover the NBA betting line!

Miami is off to Toronto for Game 5, Wednesday, at 8pm on TNT. pic.twitter.com/UKF1fcMVM2

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 10, 2016

How To Bet The Heat @ Raptors NBA Playoffs Odds, TV & Game Info

When: Wednesday, May 11, 8:00 PM ET Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario TV: TNT, TSN NBA Odds: TBA

Why Bet the Miami Heat

The best reason to back the Miami Heat (54-39 SU, 50-42-1 ATS, 37-55 O/U) in this series is that they have the best player on either team on their roster in future Hall of Famer, Dwyane Wade. Forget about Wade’s solid average of 19.0 points per game in the regular season, Wade has turned back the clock in a big way against Toronto this postseason, averaging a series-best 27.2 points per game. Miami’s franchise superstar scored a game-high 30 points in Game 4 on Monday night to lead Miami to an exhilarating 94-87 overtime win just two nights after roasting the Raptors for 38 points in Saturday’s 95-91 Game 3 loss. “In moments like this, that is what I go back to: the hard work I put in,” Wade said. “When you have games like I’ve been able to put together, it makes you want to continue to do those things. I worked my tail off to get my body to the point where I can play at an elite level and not worry about my age or anything. I know when I’m healthy, I can play this game as good as anybody.” The Heat also got 15 points apiece from Goran Dragic and Joe Johnson and got the win despite being without injured center Hassan Whiteside. Miami has gone 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall and 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win.

Why Bet the Toronto Raptors

The best reasons to bet on the Raptors (62-31 SU, 48-45 ATS, 44-48-1 O/U) in this contest are the fact that they’re playing at home and should get a big boost from their home crowd, combined with the fact that they’re also pretty damned desperate, seeing as how their all-star backcourt has looked anything but stellar. Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry has been historically horrific this postseason (again) and shot a pitiful 2-for-11 from the field in Game 4 while finishing with just 10 points. After averaging jus over 21.0 points per game during the regular season, the Raptors’ floor leader is averaging just 15.0 points per game in the playoffs while shooting an ice-cold 33.1 percent from the field and God-awful 19.7 percent from beyond the arc. All-star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan hasn’t been much better and shot a dismal 4-for-17 with nine points in Game 4. After averaging just over 23.0 points per game in the regular season, DeRozan is averaging just 17.7 points per game in the postseason while shooting a tepid 33.0 percent from the field and woeful 15.8 percent from beyond the arc. More importantly, the Raptors are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games against teams from the Southeast Division and an even more discouraging1-5 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss.

My Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

Look, these teams and this series has been so evenly matched, that there’s no doubt that the Miami Heat could very well march into Toronto and beat the Raptors to take a 3-2 series lead heading back to South Beach for Game 6. However, I think Toronto’s sheer desperation – and a pair of renewed efforts from Lowry and DeRozan – will propel them to the ‘super-narrow’ victory. Having said that, I’m still going to urge you to back the Miami Heat to cover a point spread I believe is just a few points too high for the Raptors to cover. The Raptors are just 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against their Eastern Conference rivals and an underwhelming 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games. Conversely, the Miami Heat are a red-hot 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Toronto. I like the Raptors to get the narrow home win, but Miami covers! My Final score prediction: Toronto 94 Miami 92