Here we go again. After dropping a home game against the New Orleans Pelicans 105-91 on February 21, the Miami Heat rebounded with back-to-back wins against Philadelphia and Orlando. They get a second crack at the Pelicans on Friday night. Can the Pelicans sweep the season series? Or will Miami be able to gut out another tough game? Read on for our preview of this intriguing game.
Friday night doesn’t fail to deliver on big, exciting matchups. Check out our complete previews for Friday’s other hot games in the Knicks vs. Pistons and Wolves vs. Bulls.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Miami Heat vs. New Orleans Pelicans Preview
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
When: Friday, February 27, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Miami Heat (-1.5) at New Orleans Pelicans (+1.5); total 195.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Miami Heat
It was a mighty struggle, but the Miami Heat found a way to rally and beat the Orlando Magic 93-90 in overtime on Wednesday night. Miami has now won three of its last four games post All-Star break, but has gone 1-2-1 against the spread in those games.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Heat struggled to find their stroke as they made just 32-of-84 attempts from the field, and fared even worse from downtown, going just 6-of-31.
Hassan Whiteside and Luol Deng had no such struggle from the floor. Whiteside went 5-for-8 from the field and recorded his third straight double-double (15 points and 13 rebounds) and sixth in his last eight games. One of Whiteside’s double-doubles came in a home game against New Orleans in February 21. Deng made 8-of-14 shots for 21 points.
The Heat improved to 9-0 when Deng scores 20 or more this season. But the Heat small forward was atrocious against New Orleans (he shot 2-of-7). Expect Deng to find his stroke in this game considering New Orleans’ recent struggles in defending in the paint.
Driving to the basket for layups and high-percentage shots should help him exploit New Orleans’ weak interior defense, which has given up 49.3 points in the paint per game over its past three contests.
Miami’s guards, Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic, may be able to recover from a bad outing from the floor against the Magic. The two combined to make 9-of-29 shots, including 1-of-7 from three-point range Wednesday night. They should be able to find their strokes against a New Orleans side which ranks near the bottom of the league in shooting defense (46 percent).
The total has gone over in five of Miami’s last six games.
Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are still missing Anthony Davis, who’s on the mend from a sprained right shoulder. But they’re doing just fine without their All-Star since returning from the break. After Wednesday night’s 102-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Pelicans have won and covered three straight games.
Omer Asik has stepped up in Davis’ absence, picking up back-to-back double doubles. He provides a formidable presence in the frontcourt considering Miami’s struggle on the boards away from home. The Heat averaged 38.9 rebounds per game on the road this season, dead last in the league.
Alexis Ajinca has also done well coming off the bench. He has 13 points per game shooting 67 percent from the field in the past two games. That’s more than twice his season average of 5.8 points per game.
The Pelicans can also rely on their backcourt for some much needed scoring production. Quincy Pondexter scored a career-high 25 points in 40 minutes of play against the Nets. He made 9-of-13 shots, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Pondexter may once again sport a hot hand against Miami’s shooting defense which ranks in the bottom third of the league (46 percent).
Tyreke Evans has made sure that New Orleans’ offense is running smoothly post All-Star break. He’s also not scared to take his own shots when the opportunity presents itself. He’s averaged 13.7 points and 9.7 assists in his last three games.
Having no go-to-guy has also helped New Orleans’ reserves put up some much needed points off the bench. In their past three games, the Pelicans bench has outscored their opposition 126-105.
The Pelicans are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 home games against Miami.
Writer’s Prediction
The Pelicans send Miami packing with a loss. Take New Orleans to win and cover.
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