Even casual NBA fans will not want to miss Thursday night's circus (8:05 PM ET, TNT) when the perceived betrayer – LeBron James – returns to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, with his new pals, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat. Sportsbook.com and most other offshore sportsbooks, list the Heat as 5 1/2-chalk favorites with a posted (over/under) total of 190 1/2.
Cleveland has struggled without their former super-star, playing under .500-ball with a 7-11 record. The Cavs also have a losing home record of 4-5. In spite of losing straight up home record, the Cavs have been kind to backers by covering 3-of-5 games against the point-spread. The UNDER has been the best totals wager in Cleveland home games by cashing in 4-of-5 games. The UNDER has cashed in 7-of-10 of games overall played by the Cavs.
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Miami has not exactly been stellar while on the road, going 1-4 both SU and ATS in their last five games. For the season, the Heat are 2-5 ATS in away games. In their last 10 games, Miami has struggled ATS with a 4-5-1 record. On the season the Heat are 6-13 ATS.
Tonight's game should be a blast to watch for fans who are familiar with the LeBron James story at Cleveland. There will be plenty of electricity, generated by an angry Cleveland crowd looking to make James' home debut uncomfortable. James brought plenty of promise to the Cavs, then escaped to Miami leaving the city and franchise void of a championship.
NBA Picks : LeBron will be looking to show his former franchise why they should have put up the cash to keep him in town. The Cavs will not be the only ones out to prove a point. This is a big game for James too – it's personal. Miami will take care of business. Take the Heat -5 1/2.
