The Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat will face off at Kaseya Center tonight, as LeBron James goes head-to-head with Bam Adebayo. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET, with the game airing on NBA TV.
There are murmurs that age is finally rearing its ugly head with LeBron and that he has lost his jump shot. I’m not buying it — not with LBJ returning to Miami.
The King is the focal point of our top NBA picks and same-game parlay for Heat vs. Lakers on Wednesday, December 4.
Lakers vs Heat SGP - December 4
LeBron James 25+ points
LeBron James 3+ threes made
Lakers moneyline
We have Kendrick Perkins suggesting this might be LeBron James’ last season in the NBA. Memes are circulating on X of Father Time catching up to James, claiming his time in the league may finally be coming to an end. You don’t think James has heard the noise? You don’t think he has something to prove tonight, especially in his old stomping grounds of South Beach?
Sure, LeBron has missed 19 straight 3-pointers over his last four games and has scored more than 20 points only once in his last six outings. The whispers are growing louder, but let’s show some respect to someone who recently cashed our boosted SGP on this exact same wager.
James is 39 and yes, a trip to Minnesota and Utah can be tough on the body, especially with the frigid air in both cities. Think of Tiger Woods struggling to golf in anything below 70 degrees. But tonight's game isn’t in Minnesota or Utah — it’s in South Florida's warm weather after a day off, with the familiar shooting backdrop at Kaseya Center.
Erik Spoelstra’s Miami Heat defenses excel at clogging the midrange and forming walls with help defenders. If James is going to score more than 25 points, it will likely come from his 3-point shooting, especially with Bam Adebayo guarding Anthony Davis. This isn’t a game where the Los Angeles Lakers can exploit mismatches on the interior with Davis. Instead, AD will often need to pass out of double teams, creating opportunities for shooters — and James should be the main beneficiary.
Everyone is focused on James’ recent scoring struggles and missed shots, but let’s not ignore the volume of attempts. There’s a big difference between going Under your total because you’re not generating shots and going Under because you’re simply missing them.
James has attempted 44 field goals in his last two games — he just hasn’t been converting. Add in some warm weather, all the noise that he’s lost it, and a familiar shooting backdrop at Kaseya Center, and I have no problem backing the King to find his shooting stroke and lead the Lakers to a win over the Heat.
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