Two Eastern Conference contenders square off on Friday night when the Indiana Pacers visit the Miami Heat. Both teams have won seven of their last ten, and the Heat roll in on a three-game winning streak. At 22-8, Miami is currently 1 ½ games ahead of Indiana, and both teams are in a five-team logjam in the standings, with 1 ½ games separating all of them, spanning from second place to sixth place in the East standings. As the calendar turns to 2020, the East is turning into a conference that has Milwaukee at the top, then these five contenders (Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Indiana and Toronto) followed by a collection of five teams (Brooklyn, Orlando, Charlotte, Chicago and Detroit) who look like they will be scrambling for the last two slots in the playoffs. If you plan on including the NBA in your weekend sports betting, check out our insights on this matchup.
Pacers vs Heat 2019 NBA Odds, Preview & Prediction
Looking to make a statement in the Sunshine State : @MiamiHEAT : Miami, FL : 8:00 p.m. ET : @FSIndiana : @1075thefan : https://t.co/vKGotPusnP pic.twitter.com/pGRnN7e3Pg
— #VotePacers (@Pacers) December 27, 2019
- When: Friday, December 27, 8:00 pm ET
- Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami
- TV: No National Broadcast
- Radio: WFNI ESPN 107.5 FM Indianapolis / AM 790 The Ticket Miami
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Odds: Miami -4.5 / O/U 211.5
Why should you bet on Indiana?
The Indiana Pacers have won six of seven; they had a five-game winning streak come to an end in Milwaukee on Sunday before beating Toronto on the second day of a back-to-back, rolling to a 120-115 win on Monday. Then they got three full days off running through Christmas before their Friday night game against the Heat.
In that win over the Raptors, the atmosphere took on the aura of a playoff scenario, with each teams sinking shot after big shot, so it made sense that the game would have to go to overtime. Aaron Holiday had 19 points, starting in place of injured point guard Malcolm Brogdon, and six of those points came on a pair of three-balls in overtime, helping push the Pacers to a win. Indiana shot 42 three-pointers, setting a franchise record, and made 18, tying a season best, including four in the fourth period and overtime. Domantas Sabonis had his 25th double-double of the season, posting 12 points and 17 boards. The Pacers managed to shut down Raptor star Kyle Lowry, limiting him to just one basket in overtime.
Why should you put your money on Miami?
The Heat’s three-game winning streak includes a big win at Philadelphia ahead of home wins over the Knicks and the Jazz. Their record at American Airlines Arena this season is now 13-1, and their win over Utah was particularly impressive. The Jazz got a huge night from Rudy Gobert, as he put up 18 points, shooting 9 for 11, while pulling down a season-best 20 rebounds and blocking five shots.</p.
The Heat got 20 points from Jimmy Butler, along with 18 points and a dozen boards from Bam Adebayo. Miami trailed by seven points late in the third period before going on a 21-4 run to jump out to a 10-point lead early in the fourth, taking a lead that they would not surrender. Tyler Herro had 17 points on the night, with nine coming in the fourth period to help the Heat stay ahead. Goran Dragic added 15 points, and the Heat outrebounded the Jazz by nine.
Final Score Prediction
Miami and Indiana should put on a competitive game, and I expect to see a similar atmosphere to what we saw when Indiana played Toronto earlier in the week. Given how well Miami has played at home — and given that Victor Oladipo remains on the shelf until late January — I like the Heat to pull out the win late. I predict a final score of Miami 118, Indiana 114.
