The Miami Heat (16-11) will be at home when they face the New Orleans Pelicans (9-19). Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 25 and can be seen on ESP and SUN.
The Heat are hoping for a better outcome after their 93-92 loss to the Pistons on Tuesday. Despite the loss, Hassan Whiteside earned his 10th double-double this season with 16 points and 16 rebounds. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 115-89 win against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Tyreke Evans played well for New Orleans, registering 24 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
Evans has upped his play for the Pelicans, averaging 17.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer over the past five games.
The Heat are a six-point favorite against New Orleans and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 200 points. The Heat have gone 16-11 Straight Up (SU) and 12-14-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-1 SU and 5-3-1 ATS against the Western Conference. The Heat are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .465 from the field. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Heat. The 95.7 points that Miami’s defense allows per home game makes them the second-ranked defense at home. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Heat, who lead the league in blocks per game with 7.1. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of Miami’s offense, which averages just 13.2 turnovers per game.
Over on the other bench, the Pelicans have a record of 11-17 ATS and 9-19 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, New Orleans is 2-7 SU and 3-6 ATS. The Pelicans convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking fifth in the league at .796.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these two. Their previous game was a Pelicans victory, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. With a 5-4-1 record, the Pelicans have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia, ATS Winner – NO, O/U – Under
Notes
Miami is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of Miami’s last 25 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami’s last 6 games.
Miami is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Miami is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami’s last 5 games at home.
Miami is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Miami’s last 7 games when playing New Orleans.
Miami is 4-13-2 ATS in its last 19 games when playing New Orleans.
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Miami’s last 20 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
Miami is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
Miami ranks 27th in points per game with 96.6, while New Orleans ranks 29th in points allowed with an average of 107.5 given up.
New Orleans ranks 21st in points allowed per road game (106.3 PPG), while Miami ranks 24th in points per home game with 99.3.
The New Orleans Pelicans won their last game by 26 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Miami Heat are 3-2. New Orleans is 1-4 in blowouts this season.
New Orleans has a 3-2 record when allowing fewer than 100 points. Miami has an 8-10 record when it scores fewer than 100 points.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a subpar 6-17 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Miami Heat are 8-1 when they hit the century mark.
The Heat have a defensive rating of 99.1, fifth-best in the NBA. The Pelicans also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 103.4 (ranked ninth).
The Miami Heat have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with a FG% of 46.5%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the New Orleans Pelicans have a subpar 3-11 record.
On average, Miami attempts 19.0 three pointers and New Orleans attempts 24.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Heat are winless at 0-2, while the Pelicans have a poor 5-9 record.
Miami has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.48 this season (ranked 19th). New Orleans ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.59 (ranked 11th).
The Miami Heat rebound 42.7 times per game and are ranked 21st. Ranked 25th, the New Orleans Pelicans rebound 41.7 times per game.
Miami is ranked 10th in defensive rebounds, while New Orleans ranks 29th in offensive rebounds.
Miami has forced an average turnover percentage of 13.6% this season. New Orleans has an abysmal 2-9 record when its TOV% is 13.6% or higher.
