There’s a lot of bad blood when it comes to the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers, who met in last year’s Easter Conference Finals. Their rivalry will once again be on display as the Pacers play host on New Year’s Eve. Can Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh even the season series against their Eastern Conference rivals? Or will the Pacers take advantage of a struggling Miami team? Read on as we give a complete preview of the action to come.
New Year’s Eve is a great day for sports (betting). Check out our previews for college basketball’s Penn State vs. Wisconsin as well as college football’s explosive Peach Bowl between Ole Miss and TCU.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers Preview
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indiana
When: Wednesday, December 31, 3:00 PM ET
Line: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade scored 25 points, Danny Granger hit 6-of-7 from three-point range and Chris Bosh scored 20 in his return after missing eight games due to injury. However, the Miami Heat still lost 102-101 to the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Spreading the offense around much like how they did against Orlando will be crucial for the Heat especially when taking on one of the best defenses in the league in Indiana. Aside from his 25 points, Wade also led the team with six assists.
To even out the series against the Pacers, Miami will need more production Mario Chalmers. After scoring in double-digits from December 14 to 23, Chalmers has managed only five, seven and two points in his last three games.
But while Bosh may be back in the fold, he could see limited time on the court after just one day’s rest. Having Bosh bodying up against the Pacers’ Roy Hibbert may ask too much for his recently-healed leg.
Forward Shawne Williams, who had been dealing with a sore foot, missed his first game of the season against the Magic. The Heat can definitely use him back to provide some much-needed depth off the bench. Williams went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in the Heat’s loss to the Pacers on November 12.
The Heat have lost five of their last seven games.
Start the New Year’s Eve festivities early. Create a betting account now and set yourself for a jam-packed conclusion to the year.
Betting on the Indiana Pacers
A late surge was not enough to move the Indiana Pacers past Chicago, falling 92-90 Monday night. Still, the Pacers have a lot to take away from their loss.
Chris Copeland scored 17 points, while George Hill added 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting (1-of-3 from downtown) for the Pacers. A date with Eastern Conference rival Miami may be what Hill needs to gain some steam on his shooting. The Heat rank in the bottom third in three-point field goal defense (.362) and 27th in field goal defense (.471).
Copeland, in the meantime, may have another big game. The Pacers small forward led Indiana to an 81-75 win at Miami on November 12 by going 7-for-17 from the field.
Roy Hibbert may give the Pacers a scoring edge despite being limited to just six points in each of his last two games. The Heat have struggled to contain opposing centers in their last two games, allowing 26 points to Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic and 22 to Memphis’ Marc Gasol. Hibbert had a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds in the first game against Miami.
What gave the Pacers some success against the Bulls on Monday night was their scoring defense which ranks second in the league (96.5 points per game allowed). They held Chicago to 34.5 percent shooting and kept the Bulls to under 100 points for just the second time in their last seven games. The Pacers limited the Heat to a just 75 points in the first game between the two teams, Miami’s season-low.
The Pacers are 3-0 ATS in their last three home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Pacers pile even more misery on the Heat. Take Indiana to win and cover the spread.
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