NBA: New Orleans Pelicans VS Miami Heat Pick and Predictions 01/22/2023

Game: 3:40 PM ET,  Sunday, January 22nd, 2023

Venue: FTX Arena, Miami, Florida

TV:  NBA League Pass

Pelicans: 26-20, 4th place Western Conference

Heat: 25-22, 6th place Eastern Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Heat -8.5, O/U 217.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Heat -8, O/U 218.5

Fanduel: Point Spread: Heat -8, O/U 219.5

Pelicans: PF Herbert Jones, SF Trey Murphy III, C Jonas Valanciunas, SG CJ McCollum, PG Dyson Daniels

Heat: PF Caleb Martin, SF Jimmy Butler, C Bam Adebayo, PG Kyle Lowry, SG Tyler Herro

An interconference battle between two teams that are clinging to relevance while hoping for health.  The New Orleans Pelicans are already winners this season. At 4th place in the West they are one of the most fun teams to watch in all of basketball.  It is a struggle however because 2 likely all-star forwards have gone down with injury… SF Brandon Ingram and PF Zion Williamson. It will always be expected that PF Zion Williamson will miss a big chunk of every NBA season… the guy has an enormous amount of weight suspended on his lower extremities and he throws that weight around with reckless abandon.  His knees, ankles, hamstrings, toes, arches… will all suffer dings and tweaks and will find him a spot on the training table.  However when Zion plays he is the most efficient stat getter in the league.  He scores and rebounds like any 20-10 PF only he needs less shots… and he adds a court vision that makes him a great passer.  When healthy he is a top-five NBA player.  Ingram was only part of the Lakers trade for Anthony Davis… but he was the best part (so far, the Pelicans have the Lakers pick this season…. The Wembanyama Season!!) Ingram became what we all thought he would be coming out of college… 20+ points a night.  Reliable, humble, comfortable.  Without these guys in the line-up the Pelicans results are not reliable… They lost their last game to the Orlando Magic!  The Miami Heat stuttered and stammered out of the gate this season and really fell into a hole when SF Jimmy Butler missed several weeks… Heat fans are screaming for trades… everyone want to dump SF/SG Duncan Robinson because he can’t play defense and C Bam Adebayo because, although one of the team's stars, he has reached his ceiling long ago and is still just a high achieving undersized Center.  Both these teams have worries and struggles… But they are also both top-6 in their respective conferences and capable of getting wins.

The New Orleans Pelicans have won only 3 of their last 10 games and are barely clinging to their 4th place status. They are on a 3-game losing streak.  The Pelicans have a very nice amount of depth on the roster… but without two of their top three players… that depth is much less effective.  Late January is when Brandon and Zion will return… They have to win a few before then to stay in the running.  They lost their last game to the Orlando Magic 123-110 for a big loss ATS.  In that game CJ McCollum was the high scorer with 23 points, C Jonas Valanciunas added 20… and with both Ingram and Zion being joined on the injury list by forwards Naji Harris… the team seemed powerless against the 30 point, 6 rebound, and 9 assist onslaught by Magic SF Franz Wagner… all done in just 30 minutes of play.  The Pelicans expect a few calls about Naji Harris at the trade deadline… He has had plenty of decent games in Ingram’s absence.

The Miami Heat have won 6 of their last 10 games.  Going 6-4 ATS during that stretch.  They lost their last game to the Dallas Mavericks 115-90… A blistering loss.  PG Luka Doncic torched the Heat for 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists in just 37 minutes.  SG Victor Oladipo had 20 points off the bench, C Bam Adebayo had 18 and 11… but the Heat could do very little while SF Jimmy Butler and PG Kyle Lowry had all around bad games.  The Heat have tons of experience in the combination of Butler, Lowry, and Oladipo… However they are starting to look very old… instead of just very skilled. 

Doc’s Sports is 5-1 in NBA picks the last 7 days for a profit of $3,900!! You should be following a handicapper all season long! Get Doc’s Sports picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. BigAl.com can help you with all your bets from NCAAF, NFL, MLB, NHL… get positive value from all your bets! Remember: winning a bet is way more fun than making a bet!

NO: 26-20, 22-24 ATS, 27-19 O/U, 9-14 in road games.

MIA: 25-22, 19-26-2 ATS, 22-25 O/U, 14-9 in home games.

The Pelicans are 9th in scoring with 116.4 points per game, 8th in rebounds with 44.6 per game, 19th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7, and 21st in blocked shots with 4.3 per game.

The Heat are 30th in scoring with 108.8 points per game, 26th in rebounds with 41.3 per game, 17th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8, and 30th in blocked shots with 3.0 per game.

Our prediction for Sunday, January 22nd is…. Pelicans 109 - Heat 100

The Heat rely on defense where they are 2nd in the league in stopping points… but at the same measure the Heat are 2nd to last in the league in scoring themselves.  In a matchup with the Pelicans the Heat will have to rely on Tyler Herro (their defensive weak link) against the Pelicans scoring machine CJ MCCollum.  It will not work and the Pelicans will simply outscore the Heat.

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NBA Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Pelicans/Heat Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month. And if you enjoyed this  preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.  Get help with all your college football picks, National Football league, NCAA brackets, or any prop bets on your season schedule. 

Pelicans: PF Herbert Jones.  Herbert Jones is why NBA GM’s spend so much time scouring the earth for players.  He was a 2nd round pick in 2021 and since his first day in a Pelicans uniform he has been a reliable defensive stopper who can play 3-4 positions on the court very effectively.  If 2021 was redrafted now he would be taken in the top-12.  The Pelicans use him for everything.

Heat: PF/SF Caleb Martin.  Caleb is a career sub.  His 6’5 frame and his power forward skills tend to keep him out of starting lineups… but the Heat have been playing him as the starting power forward and must be happy with 10 points, 5 rebounds a game in 31 minutes.  If the Heat end up not trading Bam?... They do need to bring in a real Power Forward to put Caleb back on the bench. 

Pelicans:  Willie “Bright Future” Green

Heat:  Erik “Forever and ever and ever” Spoelstra