The Miami Heat are a perfect 12-0 straight up and 8-4 ATS over their last 12 games, and will look to remain red-hot against two tough opponents coming up this weekend.
NBA betting Heats up: UFC on Fuel, college basketball odds previews
The UFC goes to Japan, the Miami Heat looks to extend a 12-game win streak and March Madness bracket teams come into sharper focus. This is the weekend sports betting preview.
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Miami (41-14 SU, 29-26 ATS) is running away with the Eastern Conference at this point, but will get a tough test from a Western Conference opponent Friday when the Heat host the Memphis Grizzlies (38-18 SU, 32-23-1 ATS).
Memphis is 7-3 SU and ATS in its last 10 games against the Heat including a 104-86 win earlier this season.
The Heat follow that test up with another on Sunday when they visit the New York Knicks (34-20 SU, 26-28 ATS). Miami is 6-3 SU and 5-3-1 ATS in its last nine games against the Knicks but has lost both games against the Knicks this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (42-15 SU, 33-21-3 ATS) will also be put to the test with two tough road games when they visit the Denver Nuggets (37-22 SU, 34-25 ATS) Friday night and the Los Angeles Clippers (41-18 SU, 33-26 ATS) Sunday night.
Both Denver (24-3 SU, 18-9 ATS at home) and Los Angeles (23-6 SU, 18-11 ATS) have been tough at home this season. Get lines at SBNation and also at NBA-Odds.com.
College basketball betting
We could be seeing some potential previews of big conference championship week games this weekend in college basketball. Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils (24-3 SU, 15-12 ATS heading into Thursday) host the Miami Hurricanes (23-4 SU, 15-7-2 ATS) and the Syracuse Orange (22-6 SU, 13-10-1 ATS) host the Louisville Cardinals (23-5 SU, 14-3-1 ATS).
Then Sunday, the Michigan State Spartans (22-6 SU, 11-13-1 ATS) visit the Michigan Wolverines (23-5 SU, 14-12-1 ATS). Syracuse is in the worst form of the bunch on a mediocre 4-5 SU and ATS run.
UFC on Fuel TV 8 Odds
Brian Stann needs a victory and he is favored against legend Wanderlei Silva as the UFC returns to Japan Saturday.
He has lost two of three, but was a -265 moneyline favorite earlier Friday, according to the UFC odds menu at OddsShark.com. Heavyweights Stefan Sruve and Mark Hunt do battle and a key middleweight clash between hometown hero Yushin Okami and Cuba’s Hector Lombard is also on the card.
NHL wagering
Out on the ice, the Montreal Canadians (13-4-3) have taken over the Eastern Conference’s top spot with a 7-0-2 run, but they’ll face some stern competition this weekend in back-to-back games against two of the conference’s top teams.
Saturday night the Canadians host the Pittsburgh Penguins (13-8-0) and then Sunday night Montreal visits the Boston Bruins (13-2-2), who went 8-1-1 in February.
Other big hockey games this weekend include the Los Angeles Kings (10-6-2) at the Vancouver Canucks (10-5-4) and the Chicago Blackhawks (17-0-3) at the Detroit Red Wings (9-8-3).
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