Miami Heat vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, Preview and Odds - 02/23/2024

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, February 23, 2024

Venue:  Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA 

Where to Watch:  BSNO

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Heat +3, Pelicans -3; Over/Under:  224.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Heat +3, Pelicans -3; Over/Under:  224.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Heat +3, Pelicans -3; Over/Under:  224.5 points

Miami Heat:  30-25 (1st place, Southeast Division)

New Orleans Pelicans:  33-22 (1st place, Southwest Division)

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Miami Heat:  6-4 last 10

New Orleans Pelicans:  7-3 last 10

The Heat are entering this game with a 30-25 record overall and they are 15-12 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers in their last game. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro each led the team in points in that game with 23 while Duncan Robinson was next on the team with 20 points. Tyler Herro led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Bam Adebayo led the team in rebounds with 14. They were 47.7% from the field, 31.4% from 3-point range, and 93.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 110.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 110.4 PPG against them. The Heat have an ATS record of 26-28-1 this season and their O/U record is 21-34.

The Pelicans are entering this game with a 33-22 record overall and they are 16-10 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 3 game winning streak with wins coming against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Washington Wizards in their last game, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Houston Rockets still to be played on Thursday night. In their game against the Wizards, Zion Williamson led the team in points in that game with 36 while CJ McCollum was next on the team with 26 points. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson each led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, and Larry Nance Jr. each led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 56.2% from the field, 31.3% from 3-point range, and 79.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 116.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.2 PPG against them. The Pelicans have an ATS record of 30-24-1 this season and their O/U record is 26-28-1.

The current betting odds have the Pelicans listed as a 3 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pelicans have looked good in their games this season with their 33-22 record overall which has them in a playoff spot in the West right now. They have been a good home team this year with their 16-10 home record and they have a lot of momentum on their side right now with 3 wins in a row. Meanwhile, the Heat have also looked good in their games this season with their 30-25 record overall which has them fighting for a play-in spot in the East right now. They haven't been bad in their road games with their 15-12 road record but they have been a really up and down team all year. They also have some momentum on their side with 2 wins in a row now and they are in the better situation here since they are rested while the Pelicans are playing this game on a back-to-back, but the Pelicans have still been a lot more consistent this season. The Heat have been really up and down all season and haven't really been able to get themselves into a playoff spot in the East while the Pelicans have been holding down a true playoff spot in the West for most of the season and they have the talent along with the depth to perform well in this situation. The Heat have struggled a lot this season and have been too inconsistent to back on the road in this situation. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pelicans to cover the spread in this game. 

Heat Pelicans Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, February 23, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Pelicans 117 Heat 109.

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Miami Heat: 3-6 ATS after successfully covering the spread in 5 or more consecutive games. 21-9 UNDER when the total is 220 to 229.5. 12-4 UNDER as a road underdog. 11-4 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive wins. 19-6 UNDER after a game where they covered the spread. 

New Orleans Pelicans: 11-5 ATS off a home win. 10-5 ATS after playing 2 consecutive home games. 9-5 ATS in non-conference games. 12-6 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3. 19-7 UNDER after one or more consecutive overs. 14-7 UNDER after a win by 10 points or more. 

Miami Heat:  J. Richardson (SG) - Shoulder. T. Rozier (PG) - Knee. J. Butler (PF) - Personal. D. Smith (SG) - Knee.

New Orleans Pelicans:  B. Ingram (SF) - Illness. C. Zeller (PF) - Knee. D. Daniels (SG) - Knee.

“I was encouraged to see the commitment to do the tougher things defensively and I saw a lot of those plays in the last six minutes of the game.” - Erik Spoelstra after his team’s win against the 76ers in their game on Wednesday last week.

“It’s a gutsy win coming off a long road trip. We gave them some life. Once you give a team life, their confidence is high. We had to grind to get this win, but we’ll take it.” - Willie Green after his team’s win against the Wizards in their game on Wednesday last week.

PG Delon Wright

SG Tyler Herro

SF Duncan Robinson

PF Caleb Martin

C Bam Adebayo

PG CJ McCollum

SG Brandon Ingram

SF Herbert Jones

PF Zion Williamson

C Jonas Valanciunas

PPG: J. Butler (21.4)

APG: T. Rozier (6.4)

Reb/G: B. Adebayo (10.6)

PPG: Z. Williamson (22.4)

APG: B. Ingram (5.8)

Reb/G: J. Valanciunas (9.4)

Coaches:

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra (16th season)

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green (3rd season)