The Los Angeles Lakers (14-20) visit the Miami Heat (17-17) on Wednesday night. Action tips off at 7:40 pm ET. Below we continue our NBA odds series with a Lakers-Heat prediction and pick.

Los Angeles has lost four of their last five games and dropped to 13th place in the Western Conference. The Lakers are 13-21 against the spread while 62% of their games have gone over. Miami has lost two of their last three but still sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Heat are 11-21-2 against the spread while 50% of their games have gone over. This will be the first of two games between the teams. Last season they split the series 1-1 with each team defending their home court.

Here are the Lakers-Heat NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NBA Odds: Lakers-Heat Odds

Los Angeles Lakers: +8 (-114)

Miami Heat: -8 (-106)

Over: 227.5 (-108)

Under: 227.5 (-112)

Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread

The Lakers have been a dumpster fire since star Anthony Davis went down with an injury, but a big win in Orlando last night gives LA a great formula on how they can cover the spread tonight. While Miami is certainly a better team than Orlando, the Lakers can take a number of things away from the win.

The biggest takeaway from last night's win that could propel them to cover the spread tonight would be the emergence of center Thomas Bryant. The big man averages just 10.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG for the season. However, he has been limited to just 22.3 minutes per game. He was fully unleashed last night and the results paid dividends for a Lakers team struggling to find consistent offensive production. Bryant scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the win. He was a force all night – terrorizing the Magic frontcourt en route to four offensive rebounds. Miami struggles to rebound – setting Bryant up for another big night.

If there is one X-factor in tonight's game, it would be point guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has been incredibly productive off the bench this season and accomplished a historic feat thanks to last night's triple-double. Russ scored 15 points in the win on 6-11 shooting. He also dished out 13 assists and pulled down 13 rebounds. For much of his career, Russ has been a wildcard. He will always put up stats but his impact on winning varies from night to night. That being said, he's excelled off the bench this year and now finds himself as a major factor in LA's ability to cover tonight.

Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread

Miami hasn't lived up to preseason expectations but still finds itself firmly in the mix in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Coming off a big home win over the Timberwolves, the Heat are well-positioned to build a winning streak as they host LA on the second night of a back-to-back.

Miami has their work cut out of them, however, as two of their most important players (Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo) are listed as questionable tonight. That being said, Miami was without both stars on Monday night and still managed to cover and win outright against Minnesota. They'll likely follow a similar formula tonight regardless of whether those two are back in action.

Even if Adebayo or Butler plays tonight, the Heat will likely need a strong team effort if they want to cover a hefty spread against LeBron James. In Miami's last outing, five players scored in double figures. Their three-headed guard attack of Kyle Lowry (18 points), Tyler Herro (14 points), and Max Strus (19 points) led the way. The three didn't shoot well from three (combined 7-24 from three) but did a great job scoring and creating shots for others. Both Herro and Lowry dished out more than eight assists in the game – proving they can survive without Butler.

The breakout star in their most recent win was center Orlando Robinson. The 6'11” big man stepped in for the injured Adebayo and performed admirably. He scored 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the win. His minutes do fluctuate, however. If Bam is out again Miami backers should have confidence in Robinson's ability to step into the center position. The Lakers are very weak down low with Anthony Davis hurt – seeing Robinson up for a big night if Adebayo misses again.

Final Lakers-Heat Prediction & Pick

After LA's big win last night, I like them to keep things close against a Miami team that struggles offensively. 17 of Miami's 34 games have been decided by five points or less – a trend I expected to continue tonight.

Final Lakers-Heat Prediction & Pick: Los Angeles Lakers +8 (-114)