Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat will be looking to extend their winning ways when they hit the road to take on Zion Williamson and the desperate New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. With the Heat looking to improve on their playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference and New Orleans going all-out to steal the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their NBA Odds for the Heat vs Pelicans.
Heat vs Pelicans 2020 NBA Game Preview & Betting Odds
- When: Friday, March 6, 2020 at 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center
- TV: FSNO, SUN, ESPN
- NBA Odds: New Orleans -1.5 / Total: 234.5
Friday night #PelicansGameday 👀
⏰: 7pm 📺: ESPN, Fox Sport New Orleans 📻: @ESPNRadioNOLA 100.3 FM 📱: Follow along on the Pelicans app#WontBowDown pic.twitter.com/xQRR4C8STt — New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 6, 2020
Why Bet On Miami at +1.5
The Heat have won four straight including a narrow 116-113 win over Orlando on Tuesday night. Miami got a team-high 27 points from rookie guard Duncan Robinson who made 9 of 12 from downtown. The Heat drained a franchise record 22 threes in the win. Veteran point guard Goran Dragic added 25 points while going 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.
“I just think the body and ball movement is the key to those 3-point looks,” Heat forward Jae Crowder said afterward. “I feel like we do a good job of moving without the ball. We do a good job of moving the ball and I think that generates threes. We have good enough people that get into the paint and collapse the defense, and we’re playing unselfish. I think you have to have an unselfish style of play to generate threes and generate looks. I think we have that, and it’s been clicking for us lately.”
Miami has struggled on the road recently, losing thee straight and six of seven away from home.
“It still feels like we have a lot of time before the playoffs, and we have a lot of ground to cover,” coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “I want to see us get to another level of consistency.”
Offense:
- Points/G: 112.7
- Field Goal %: 47.0
- 3-Point %: 38.5
- Free Throw %: 77.9
- Rebounds/G: 44.6
Defense:
- Points/G: 109.2
- Field Goal %: 44.9
- 3-Point %: 34.2
- Free Throw %: 77.6
- Rebounds/G: 42.1
Miami Heat Betting Trends
- Heat are 27-12-2 ATS in their last 41 games following a ATS loss.
- Heat are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
- Heat are 8-20-1 ATS in their last 29 games following a straight up win.
- Heat are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog.
- Heat are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games.
Why Bet On New Orleans at -1.5
The Pelicans have dropped three straight and four of five including a crushing 127-123 overtime loss against Dallas on Tuesday night despite getting a team-high 27 points from Brandon Ingram, 25 points and 11 rebounds from Lonzo Ball and 21 points from Zion Williamson.
New Orleans is five games behind the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies in the West with 20 games remaining. However, the Pelicans are in a big-time battle with three other teams in front of them right now.
“We just need to figure out a way to continue to flourish on the offensive end,” Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram told reporters after the 127-123 overtime loss to the Mavericks on Wednesday. “I think it’s important for me to stay aggressive and look for my teammates and get to the rim. I think everybody has to be consistent across the board in what they do.”
The 22-year-old Ball drained seven three-pointers for the second straight game.
“When I’m open, just shoot it,” Ball told reporters of his approach. “That’s all it really comes down to. I’ve been putting the work in, now it’s about translating it to the court. It’s that simple.”
Offense:
- Points/G: 116.2
- Field Goal %: 46.3
- 3-Point %: 37.3
- Free Throw %: 73.0
- Rebounds/G: 46.8
Defense:
- Points/G: 117.4
- Field Goal %: 46.7
- 3-Point %: 35.8
- Free Throw %: 78.4
- Rebounds/G: 45.1
New Orleans Pelicans Betting Trends
- Pelicans are 14-5-1 ATS in their last 20 games following a ATS win.
- Pelicans are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following a straight up loss.
- Pelicans are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Pelicans are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
- Pelicans are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games.
Heat vs Pelicans Expert Analysis and Prediction
The Heat might have the far better record heading into this matchup, but New Orleans has the deeper team and the Pelicans have been completely transformed into a more competitive team since Zion Williamson made his debut just over a month ago. Miami has gone an awful 8-20-1 ATS in their last 29 games following a straight up win, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games. Conversely, New Orleans has gone 14-5-1 ATS in their last 20 games following an ATS win and 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following a straight up loss. With the Pelicans fighting for their playoff lives, I’m going with New Orleans to get the outright win in this one!
Pick: New Orleans 115 Miami 111
