MetroBet takes a look at the NBA slate for Monday night as the Sixers take on the Heat and the Spurs play at the Kings.
Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat (-2)
Moneyline: 76ers +110, Heat -130
Betting Total: 221 points
Jimmy Butler is expected to make his 76ers debut on Monday night (7:30 p.m.) as the Philadelphia 76ers (8-6) travel to Miami to take on the Heat (5-7).
Philly has really struggled away from home this season, going 1-6, as opposed to their perfect 7-0 home record. Their spread record as the visitor is also 1-6. Joel Embiid’s numbers take a noticeable hit when playing away from home, as he scores 31.6 points per game at the Wells Fargo Center but just 23.9 points per game everywhere else. And the 76ers defense has been shredded on the road this season, allowing 116.9 points per game. Butler is a great talent, but he may not be able to address these deficiencies on both ends of the court in his first game as a Sixer.
However, the Heat are going through some struggles of their own, losing five of their last seven (2-5 against the spread) and going 1-3 at home in the process. A spread bet doesn’t look like the way to go in this one.
The betting total (221 points) is a sizeable one, but the trends indicate that the Over is the right side. Miami has gone Over in nine of 12 games this year, including seven of their last eight. And the Over is 10-5 in Philly’s last 15 road games.
Prediction: Miami wins, 117-113
San Antonio Spurs (-3) at Sacramento Kings
Moneyline: Spurs -145, Kings +130
Betting Total: 216.5 points
The veteran Spurs (7-4) are slight favorites at the Golden 1 Center against an overachieving young Kings squad (7-6) on Monday night (10 p.m.).
DeMar DeRozan is the only player on either roster to average more than 20 points per game in 2018 (25.2). LaMarcus Aldridge (19.4) leads the secondary scorers, who continue to struggle without Rudy Gay. That’s part of the reason why the Under has gone 4-1 in San Antonio’s last five games.
Sacramento keeps the opposition in check at home, allowing just 32.7 percent of three-point attempts to score and a 1.16 assist-to-turnover ratio against. Not surprisingly, the Under is 15-5-1 in the Kings’ last 21 home games and has cashed in five straight.
Buddy Hield, rookie De’Aaron Fox and Willie Cauley-Stein, all of whom are 25 years old or younger, lead the Kings in scoring. They’ll try to solve Greg Popovich’s defense and get Sacramento their first win over the Spurs since Nov. 15, 2014 (14 straight losses).
Prediction: Kings win, 108-103
The play: 76ers at Heat Over 221 points and Spurs at Kings Under 216.5 points Parlay (+260)
