Spurs favored by 4.5 vs. Heat in Game 1

Published on Tuesday, 6/3/14, at 10:35 a.m. Eastern.
Updated on Thursday, 6/5/14, at 12:28 p.m. Eastern.

By Brian Edwards

The 2014 edition of the NBA Finals will start Thursday when San Antonio hosts Miami as a 3.5-point home favorite in Game 1 of this best-of-seven series. Games 1 and 2 will be played in San Antonio, in addition to Games 6 and 7, if necessary.

Games 3, 4 and 5 will take place in Miami.

This is a rematch of last year’s epic seven-game set won by the Heat thanks to a remarkable comeback in Game 6. This is the first time we’ve seen a Finals rematch since Chicago beat Utah for a second time in 1997 and ’98.

For Thursday’s Game 1, most books are listing the Spurs as 4.5-point favorites with a total of 198.5 or 199. On Sunday when the number came out, most spots had it at 3.5 with a 198-point tally. The number moved to 4.5 late Wednesday. Gamblers can take Miami on the money line for a +165 return (risk $100 to win $165).

For the series price, Bovada had (as of Wednesday) had San Antonio as a -115 ‘chalk,’ while Miami is -105.

The Heat is gunning for its third consecutive championship.

Tony Parker is ‘probable’ for Game 1 after sitting out the second half of the Spurs’ close-out win Saturday at Oklahoma City.