NBA: Home treble including the Heat tipped as playoffs continue
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Chicago may have been unable to make home advantage count – going down 2-0 to Washington in the first round of playoff matchups – but Miami and San Antonio look poised to please their own fans.
The Heat and Spurs are both 1-0 up and are expected to double their leads over Charlotte and Dallas respectively tonight.
Backing this outcome, along with a home win for Houston – who trail Portland after Game 1 – completes a treble returning a healthy £39.34 to anyone placing a stake of just £10.
Reigning back-to-back champions Miami could hardly have hoped for a better first round opponent given their dominant displays over Charlotte in the recent past.
The Heat had won nine meetings in a row against the Bobcats and made that a double-digit streak with a 99-98 win over Steve Clifford’s men in Game 1.
The Bobcats are 4-2 from six on the road, but any confidence from such stats will be depleted when Miami’s 19 wins from 25 home games is considered.
LeBron James scored 27 points in game one and the All-Star man will prove the difference once again here.
San Antonio will have been as pleased to have been paired with Texas rivals Dallas as Miami were to land Charlotte.
Like the Heat, the Spurs have been handed a first round opponent against whom they enjoyed a nine-game win streak coming into this series.
That run has now been extended to 10-0 and with the hosts winning 21 of their last 25 at the AT&T Center, this one looks a formality.
Despite their dominance over the Mavericks, San Antonio can expect a hostile reception when the series moves to the American Airlines Center so a potential 2-0 lead should prove all the motivation they need.
Portland extended their impressive road to streak to five wins to take a 1-0 lead in the series despite Houston’s home advantage.
Another loss is simply not an option for the Rockets as coming from 2-0 down in the Blazers’ back yard would be a huge obstacle to overcome.
The Rockets have lost just two of their last 19 games in front of their own fans and must draw on such form to level the series tonight.
This shouldn’t prove too difficult, with Houston winning six of the nine meetings with Portland prior to their defeat in Game 1.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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