NBA: New York Knicks at Miami Heat
New York Knicks 91, Miami Heat 102 Reuters

The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs opened as huge 9.5-point favourites when they face the Charlotte Bobcats and Dallas Mavericks, respectively on Sunday.

The Heat are seeded 2nd in the East and the Spurs have the best record in the entire league so it’s not a surprise that both teams are chalked as high in their respective playoff openers.

Two other series also begin on Sunday when the Houston Rockets host the Portland Trail Blazers and the Washington Wizards travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls. Both hosts have similar betting lines against the spread; Houston is pegged at -5 while Chicago is favoured by 4.5 points.

The Heat have blanked the Bobcats since the Big 3 era of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh began in Miami in 2010. The trio is 15-0 against the Bobcats, which has yet to win a playoff game in its franchise history.

However, Charlotte is one of the better teams to finish the 2013-2014 regular season. They are 20-9 since the All-Star Break and have depended to net some crucial victories in this playoff run.

Meanwhile, the Spurs have shown similar domination over their first round opponents. San Antonio is 4-0 this year against Texas rivals Mavericks—and all in dominating fashion.

Betting Lines: Charlotte Bobcats (+9.5) vs. Miami Heat (O/U: 188.5)
 Game time: 5:30 am AEDT

Charlotte Bobcats Trends
 - The Bobcats are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games
- The Bobcats are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. Miami
- The Bobcats are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games vs. East teams

Miami Heat Trends
 - The Heat are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in the first round of the playoffs
- The Heat are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. East teams
- The Heat are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games

Betting Lines: Dallas Mavericks (+9.5) vs. San Antonio Spurs (O/U: 205.5)
 Game time: 3:00 am AEDT

Dallas Mavericks Trends
 - The Mavericks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. Southwest division teams
- The Mavericks are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games in the first round of the playoffs
- The Mavericks are 47-19 ATS in their last 66 games on the road

San Antonio Spurs Trends
 - The Spurs are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in the first round of the playoffs
- The Spurs are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games at home
- The Spurs are 15-5 ATS in their last 20 games