Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat Thurs. March 10, 2011 7 p.m. EST

On this past Christmas Day, NBA fans were pumped up and ready to watch two of the best teams in the league go head-to-head in arguably the most anticipated matchup of the NBA regular season.

As they usually do, the Los Angeles Lakers were set to play in the Christmas Day game yet again, but this time around it would be the first time they would face the revamped Miami Heat with the additions of superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh alongside the face of the franchise in Dwyane Wade.

Even though the Lakers were favored to give the Heat a run for their money on Christmas Day, the two-time defending NBA champions have been infamous over the last few years for just playing awful on the holiday. With a big loss to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers a year before, the Los Angeles Lakers were put under the microscope, but it didn’t matter as they ultimately went on to win another NBA title.

So despite most people believing that Kobe Bryant and company were ready to dominate the new-look Miami Heat on their home floor at the Staples Center, the Lakers were embarrassed once again by LeBron’s team as they blew out the defending champs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, 96-80.

On Thurs. March 10, the Los Angeles Lakers will head to South Beach to avenge their Christmas Day embarrassment by taking on the Miami Heat on their home floor. Even though the Heat are still a very talented basketball team and will almost certainly be playoff bound with a high seed in the Eastern Conference, they have hit a rough patch as of late by losing five straight games.

Not only have the Heat just been awful over the past week or so and lost some games they should have won, but they will be playing arguably the hottest team in the league on Thursday night as the Lakers have won eight straight games and seem to have that much-needed championship swagger back.

Along with being red hot right now, the two-time defending NBA champions made a huge statement recently when they absolutely dominated the league leading San Antonio Spurs last Sunday on their home floor in Texas. With that win, the Lakers proved to most people that they were back in the title contender conversation and arguably the team to beat in the NBA from here on out.

This matchup between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers will be intriguing to say the least as Dwyane Wade and company are in desperate need of a big win over a championship caliber team like the Lakers in order to prove their critics wrong. The Lakers on the other hand will be looking to get one more win before taking on the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday in what could be a battle with the second seed in the Western Conference on the line.

The Lakers are one game back of the Mavs and a win over the Heat would improve their chances of knocking Dallas to the third spot in the West. This is some good NBA betting action.

The Miami Heat might be favored coming into this matchup with the defending champs, but I believe the Los Angeles Lakers will make yet another statement with a big win in South Beach on Thursday night.

Here are the latest odds and spreads at the best online sportsbooks:

BetDSI Sportsbook:
Spread: Los Angeles Lakers -2 & Miami Heat +2
Moneyline: Los Angeles Lakers -130 & Miami Heat +130
Over/Under: Los Angeles Lakers 110 over & Miami Heat 110 under (188)

Bookmaker Sportsbook:
Spread: Los Angeles Lakers -2 & Miami Heat +2
Moneyline: Los Angeles Lakers -130 & Miami Heat +130
Over/Under: Los Angeles Lakers 110 over & Miami Heat 110 under (188)

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