Thunder vs. Heat Game 3 Line

Carrie Stroup here working an all important Sunday in the NBA with your Thunder vs. Heat Game 3 line, courtesy of our friends at Sportsbook, who were offering qualified customers up to $250 in FREE CASH here. 

This series is tied 1-1.

Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Miami -4 & 193

Opening Line & Total: Heat -3.5 & 194

The Heat pulled even in the NBA Finals with a gritty effort on Thursday, and now the teams settle in Miami for the next three games in the series starting on Sunday night.

LeBron James showed his MVP worth with 32 points in the 100-96 Game 2 win, but three other Heat players provided great offense too. Dwyane Wade pumped in 24 points on 10-of-20 FG, Shane Battier scored 17 for the second straight game, burying 5-of-7 threes, and Chris Bosh had 16 points and 15 rebounds (seven offensive) in his starting role. Miami jumped out to a 12-point lead after one quarter, and shot at a blistering pace all night with 47% FG, 6-of-14 threes (43%) and 22-of-25 free throws (88%). Oklahoma City shot just 43% FG, 9-of-26 threes (35%) and 19-of-26 free throws (73%).

After the Thunder held a decisive 56-40 advantage in the paint in Game 1, the Heat turned the tables with a 48-32 points in the paint edge in Game 2. Oklahoma City had also dominated fast-break points 24-4 in Game 1, but Miami did a much better job in transition, allowing just 11 fast-break points on Thursday and scoring 10 points on the break. But the Thunder played much better in the final three quarters in Game 2 and were a missed foul call away from tying up the game in the closing seconds. Not only are they 18-4 (15-7 ATS) after an SU loss this season, but they are also 22-10 ATS (69%) when avenging an SU loss versus an opponent as a favorite in the past two seasons. Oklahoma City is also 7-1 ATS in its past eight trips to Miami.

Now the series shifts to AmericanAirlines Arena where the Heat are 36-7 SU (84%) this season with a 24-18-1 ATS mark (57%) and an 11.2 PPG margin. In the 2012 playoffs, Miami is 8-2 SU (7-3 ATS) at home with a 12.0 PPG margin, outscoring these teams 99.4 PPG to 87.4 PPG. The Thunder rank third in the NBA with a 25-15 road record (63%) and own the sixth-best ATS mark at 23-16-1 (59%), including 5-1-1 ATS in playoff road tilts. Both teams have similar records with just one day’s rest -- Miami is 34-16 (24-26 ATS), while Oklahoma City is 34-14 (25-22-1 ATS).

In Game 2, the Thunder got 80 of their 96 points from three players -- Kevin Durant (32), Russell Westbrook (27) and James Harden (21). The trio made 29-of-59 FG (49.2%) and 8-of-19 threes. The rest of the team scored 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting from the floor, including 1-of-7 threes. Defensively, they allowed just 45 second-half points and finished the game with nine blocks and nine steals. PF Serge Ibaka had five of those blocks, but pulled down only four rebounds and posted a minus-15 rating in 29 minutes of action. C Kendrick Perkins had a team-high-tying eight rebounds, but posted a game-worst minus-16 rating with a meager four points on 1-of-5 FG. Reserve PG Derek Fisher shot poorly (1-for-5 FG, 0-for-4 threes), but was able to post a +13 rating, which tied Harden for the best such mark of Game 2.

In addition to James scoring 32 points in Game 2, his highest total in any of his 12 career NBA Finals games, he added eight rebounds, five assists and a +6 rating. James has averaged 30.8 PPG (47.4% FG), 11.3 RPG and 4.9 APG in his past eight home playoff games, tallying 30+ points and 10+ rebounds in each of his past five home contests. Wade has also shined at AmericanAirlines Arena this postseason with 23.9 PPG (48% FG), 4.0 RPG and 4.0 APG. He’s scored at least 22 points in his past seven home tilts. Bosh continues to increase his minutes, going from 14 to 28 to 31 to 34 and then up to 40 in Game 2. His presence on the court has been invaluable to his team in his past four games, as Bosh has posted a +28 rating. Battier has simply been on fire in his past four games, shooting 58% from the floor and from downtown (15-of-26). In the NBA Finals, he’s made 12-of-17 shots (71%) including 9-of-13 threes (69%). The one Miami starter that struggled in Game 2 was PG Mario Chalmers, who tallied just three points (1-of-7 FG), one assist and three turnovers. He did have three key steals however, and also pulled down four rebounds. Miami’s bench contributed very little, scoring a total of eight points (3-of-6 FG) in 36 minutes.

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter