NBA Betting Preview: Toronto Raptors vs. Miami Heat Game 6 Odds, Analysis

The Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors could each be on their way to a second consecutive Game 7 if the former defeats the latter again at home in Game 6 on Friday.

The Heat have split the first two games at AmericanAirlines Arena straight up and against the spread, and they must win once more there to return to Toronto on Sunday. Miami is a 4.5-point betting favorite at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

The Raptors got off to another fast start in Game 5 on Wednesday, jumping out to a 28-18 lead after the first quarter before holding off a Heat rally in the fourth and covering the spread for just the second time in the series as 4.5-point chalk.

Toronto shooting guard DeMar DeRozan had his best performance with a game-high 34 points on 11-of-22 shooting, while teammate Kyle Lowry again outplayed Miami’s Goran Dragic in the point guard matchup with 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Dragic scored 13 in Game 5 and has 40 total in the past three combined after averaging 23 in the first two.

The Heat still managed to keep the Raptors under 100 points for the fifth time in as many meetings and second in a row without center Hassan Whiteside, who is dealing with a knee injury and may not return.

Toronto averaged 107 points in winning the last three games between the teams in the regular season and scored more than 100 in all of them. The under is 2-1-1 in the past four meetings following a 3-1 over run in the previous four, according to the Odds Shark NBA database.

The lack of Whiteside’s presence inside defensively has not helped the Raptors as much as it probably should. The combination of Amar'e Stoudemire, Josh McRoberts and Udonis Haslem essentially replacing him has also not been much of a threat for Miami, totaling only 12 points among them in Game 5.

Meanwhile, Toronto’s Bismack Biyombo has taken over in the middle for Jonas Valanciunas (ankle) the last two games and averaged 11.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and three blocks.

Injuries could end up determining the outcome of this series, as small forwards from both teams suffered wrist injuries in Game 5 that could severely limit them in Game 6 and beyond. Luol Deng would be the bigger loss for the Heat because he is more of a scorer than DeMarre Carroll for the Raptors.

But one player to watch the rest of the way is Miami’s Joe Johnson, who could bust out and fill the scoring void if Deng does not play. Johnson has made only one of 17 shots from beyond the three-point arc through the first five games, averaging 13.8 points on 37.2 percent shooting overall.