Pointspread: Dallas -3 Over/Under: 187 The 2011 NBA Finals matchup between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks shifts from the American Airlines Arena in Miami to the American Airlines Center in Dallas this upcoming Sunday for Game 3 with the best-of-seven series knotted at one game apiece. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.
Miami will spend the next two days trying to figure out how it blew a 15-point lead with less than eight minutes play in a 95-93 loss in Thursday?s Game 2 as a 4.5 point home favorite. The Heat?s collapse was their first loss at home in the playoffs after nine straight wins. They have not been nearly as dominant on the road with a 4-3 record both straight-up and against the spread. The total has stayed ?under? in four of the seven games.
Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 36 points and LeBron James added 20 points, but this series is coming down to a battle of the boards as Miami won the first round 46-36, but was outrebounded 41-30 in Thursday?s meltdown.
Dallas?s dramatic rally raised its overall record in the playoffs to 13-4 SU and a very profitable 13-3-1 ATS. It is 7-1 SU at home this postseason and 6-2 ATS. The total has gone ?over? in five of its eight home games and is 9-7-1 overall.
Dirk Nowitzki has been ?as advertised? with a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds in Game 1 and 24 points in Thursday?s comeback including scoring the final nine points of the game to steal the win and tie the series at 1-1. Shawn Merion also came up big in a supporting role with 20 points and eight rebounds and Jason Terry added 16 points and five assists off the bench.
Another key to Thursday?s win besides dominating the boards was Dallas?s ability to improve its shooting from the floor from 37.3 percent on Tuesday night to 48 percent in Game 2.
Turning to Sunday?s game, the Mavericks will use this tremendous shift in momentum along with raucous support of the home-town crowd to take a 2-1 edge in this series.
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