New Orleans Pelicans vs Miami Heat Prediction, Preview and Odds - 03/22/2024

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, March 22, 2024

Venue:  Kaseya Center, Miami, FL

Where to Watch:  NBA TV

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +4.5, Heat -4.5; Over/Under:  206.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +4.5, Heat -4.5; Over/Under:  206.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +4.5, Heat -4.5; Over/Under:  206.5 points

New Orleans Pelicans:  42-26 (1st place, Southwest Division)

Miami Heat:  38-31 (2nd place, Southeast Division)

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New Orleans Pelicans:  8-2 last 10

Miami Heat:  5-5 last 10

The Pelicans are entering this game with a 42-26 record overall and they are 22-13 in their road 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 Los Angeles Clippers, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Brooklyn Nets in their last game, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Orlando Magic still to be played on Thursday night. In their game against the Nets, Zion Williamson led the team in points in that game with 28 while CJ McCollum was next on the team with 16 points. Brandon Ingram led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Larry Nance, Jr. led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 50.6% from the field, 29.4% from 3-point range, and 76.9% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 116 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 110.7 PPG against them. The Pelicans have an ATS record of 39-28-1 this season and their O/U record is 29-38-1.

The Heat are entering this game with a 38-31 record overall and they are 17-15 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last game. Jimmy Butler led the team in points in that game with 30 while Terry Rozier was next on the team with 24 points. Jimmy Butler led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Thomas Bryant led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 45.8% from the field, 36.1% from 3-point range, and 94.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 109.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 109.2 PPG against them. The Heat have an ATS record of 33-35-1 this season and their O/U record is 25-44.

The current betting odds have the Heat listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Heat have looked good in their games this season with their 38-31 record overall which has them in a play-in spot for the playoffs in the East right now. They have been really up and down in the standings over the last few weeks and right now they are on the cusp of a true playoff spot in the East. They haven't looked great in their road games but they have still been a good road team with their winning 17-15 road record this season. Meanwhile, the Pelicans have looked good in their games this season with their 42-26 record overall which has them in a playoff spot in the West right now. They have looked really good in their games lately with their 8-2 record in their last 10 games which has had them surging up the standings, and they have also looked good in their road games this year with their 22-13 road record. The Pelicans have been the hotter team coming into this one and they definitely have more momentum on their side with 3 wins in a row now, but they are in a tougher situation here since they are playing this game on a back-to-back. The Heat are only 5-5 in their last 10 games and haven't looked great lately as they have been really up and down, but they are going to have some momentum from their win in Cleveland the other night and they looked a lot better with Butler back in the lineup. The Heat will bring their best effort for this game on their home court as they are still trying to climb into a true playoff spot and they can take advantage of the Pelicans in this terrible situation. The best way to place a bet here is on the Heat to cover the spread in this game. 

Pelicans Heat Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, March 22, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Heat 109 Pelicans 96.

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New Orleans Pelicans: 19-10 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 8-4 ATS off a road loss. 21-12 ATS off a upset loss as a favorite. 33-16 UNDER as a road underdog of 6 points or less. 22-7 UNDER after one or more consecutive overs. 23-14 UNDER off a road loss by 10 points or more.

Miami Heat: 12-20 ATS in home games. 4-7 ATS off a road win by 3 points or less. 44-25 UNDER in all games. 15-7 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3. 16-4 UNDER off a road win.

New Orleans Pelicans:  M. Ryan (SF) Ques Thurs - Illness. D. Daniels (SG) Early April - Knee.

Miami Heat:  B. Adebayo (C) Ques Fri - Back. D. Robinson (SF) Ques Fri - Back. K. Love (PF) Early April - Heel. T. Herro (SG) Early April - Knee. J. Richardson (SG) out for season - Shoulder.

“We’re trying to build starting with our foundation. It starts with the people we bring in our building that contribute to having a healthy program, high character people that bring a ton of energy, hard workers, top to bottom. That’s the program that we’re trying to build — it’s a sustainable winning culture and it feels like we’re trending in a good way right now.” - Willie Green after his team’s win against the Nets in their game on Tuesday.

“This is why we went after Terry. We wanted to have another guy who can make something happen late in games. He’s always been that kind of player in big moments with Charlotte and of course with Boston." - Erik Spoelstra after his team’s win against the Cavaliers in their game on Wednesday.

PG CJ McCollum

SG Brandon Ingram

SF Herbert Jones

PF Zion Williamson

C Jonas Valanciunas

PG Terry Rozier

SG Duncan Robinson 

SF Jimmy Butler

PF Nikola Jovic

C Bam Adebayo

PPG: Z. Williamson (22.7)

APG: B. Ingram (5.8)

Reb/G: J. Valanciunas (9.3)

PPG: J. Butler (21.6)

APG: T. Rozier (6)

Reb/G: B. Adebayo (10.6)

Coaches:

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green (3rd season)

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra (16th season)