Miami Heat vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/18/2023

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Venue:  Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA

Where to Watch:  BSNO

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Heat -1, Pelicans +1; Over/Under:  221.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Heat -1, Pelicans +1; Over/Under:  221.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Heat -1, Pelicans +1; Over/Under:  221.5 points

Miami Heat:  24-21 (1st place, Southeast Division)

New Orleans Pelicans:  26-18 (2nd place, Southwest Division)

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Miami Heat:  6-4 last 10

New Orleans Pelicans:  4-6 last 10

The Heat are coming into this game with a 24-21 record overall and they are 10-12 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Atlanta Hawks in their last game. Jimmy Butler led the team in points in that game with 34 while Bam Adebayo was next on the team with 20 points. Victor Oladipo led the team in assists in that game with 10 while Bam Adebayo led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 48.3% from the field, 25.8% from 3-point range, and 95% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 108.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 108.8 PPG against them. The Heat have an ATS record of 17-25-3 this season and their O/U record is 21-24.

The Pelicans are coming into this game with a 26-18 record overall and they are 17-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last game. CJ McCollum led the team in points in that game with 25 while Jonas Valančiūnas was next on the team with 22 points. Jose Alvarado led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Jonas Valančiūnas led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 50.7% from the field, 37% from 3-point range, and 77.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 113.3 PPG against them. The Pelicans have an ATS record of 22-22 this season and their O/U record is 25-19.

The current betting odds have the Pelicans listed as a 1 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pelicans haven't been great in their games lately as they have been missing one of their biggest key players in the lineup but they have still been getting by without Zion and are still one of the better teams in the West this season with a 26-18 record overall. They haven't been terrible without Zion as they are finding ways to win games with the talent they still have out on the court and they will get a boost here being at home as they are 17-5 in home games this season. The Heat have been getting hot in their games lately but they are entering this game off a loss in their last one and they have been a team that has struggled this season. They are only 24-21 this year as they struggle to stay above .500 and they have been bad in their road games too with a 10-12 road record. The Pelicans still have a lot of quality talent on their team without Zion in the lineup and it is enough to win this home game where they have been great all year and against a struggling Heat team that hasn't been great in road games. 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 Wednesday, January 18, 2023 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Pelicans 121 Heat 116.

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Miami Heat: 17-26 ATS in all games. 9-19 ATS as a favorite. 9-2 UNDER off a loss against a division rival.

New Orleans Pelicans: 7-2 ATS at home when the line is +3 to -3. 24-18 ATS in a home game where the total is 220 to 229.5. 5-1 UNDER after 2 consecutive non-conference games. 

Miami Heat:  K. Lowry (PG) Out indefinitely - Knee. D. Robinson (SF) Early Feb - Hamstring. N. Jovic (SF) Late Jan - Back. O. Yurtseven (C) Mid Feb - Ankle.

New Orleans Pelicans:  H. Jones (PF) Ques Wed - Back. B. Ingram (SF) Late Jan - Toe. Z. Williamson (PF) Late Jan - Hamstring. E. Liddell (SF) Out indefinitely - Knee.

“Tale of two halves. The stark difference was born out of them blowing the doors off us in the first half.” - Erik Spoelstra after his team’s loss against the Hawks in their game on Monday.

“We’ve not been lucky with injuries. We’re missing really important guys, missing our core. It’s been tough, but we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. You have to keep pushing and try to play through it.” - Jonas Valanciunas after their loss against the Cavaliers in their game on Monday.

PG Gabe Vincent

SG Tyler Herro

SF Caleb Martin

PF Jimmy Butler 

C Bam Adebayo

PG CJ McCollum

SG Trey Murphy III

SF Dyson Daniels

PF Naji Marshall

C Jonas Valanciunas

PPG: J. Butler (22.1)

APG: K. Lowry (5.6)

Reb/G: B. Adebayo (10.1)

PPG: Z. Williamson (26)

APG: C. McCollum (5.8)

Reb/G: J. Valanciunas (9.8)

Coaches:

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra (15th season)

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green (2nd season)