Free NBA Pick: Clippers vs. Heat NBA Odds
Looking for LA Clippers vs. Miami Heat free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Clippers taking on the Heat on Friday, January 28th, 2021 at FTX Arena. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Clippers Heat matchup.
2022 NBA Handicapping
(25-25) LA Clippers vs. Miami Heat (31-17)
Date: Friday, January 28th
Time: 8:00 PM EST
Venue: FTX Arena, Miami, Florida
NBA Moneyline Odds: Clippers +200 | Heat -256 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Heat -5.5
NBA Betting Total: 208.5
Friday, January 28th, finds the LA Clippers facing the Miami Heat in their second and final meeting of this season. The Clippers won the initial meeting 112-109 on November 11th.
Both teams enter having played last on Wednesday with the Clippers beating the Magic 111-102 while the Heat posted a 110-96 winning effort versus the Knicks.
Last season the clubs played twice with the Clippers taking both matches and have a current six-game win streak versus Miami dating back to January 23rd, 2019. The Heat holds the all-time record with 36 wins in 66 matches versus the Clippers.
LA Clippers
Despite being shorthanded the Clippers have been on a bit of a tear particularly successful at erasing double-digit deficits doing it in back-to-back games. They’ve won three of their last four and six of nine.
Without the services of Paul George, coach Ty Lue has the Clippers moving the ball and focusing on defense which can present its own set of problems for opposing teams because there aren’t just one or two players to have to emphasize in the game plan.
In the victory versus the Magic, LA was led by Amir Coffey with 19 points six rebounds, and five assists while the hero of the match prior Luke Kennard offered 17 points off the bench.
The other Clippers youngster who has been thriving with increased minutes is Terance Mann who offered 14 points and was joined by Nic Batum (12 points, seven rebounds), and Eric Bledsoe (13) as the other double-figure contributors.
Los Angeles has played well defensively, giving up 106.5 points per game. They gave up 102 points in their last game and will need another solid defensive effort if they want to win this game.
Marcus Morris (personal) and Jason Preston (foot) are questionable for Friday. Paul George (elbow) remains out with no stated return date as does Kawhi Leonard rehabbing from his torn ACL.
Miami Heat
Having navigated injury the best of all the top East teams the reward for the Heat was taking over the top spot. They continue to deal with core players being in and out of the rotation without skipping a beat.
While it might seem like a no-brainer that a team would only benefit when a star player returns with the players who were performing well in their absence continuing to produce it’s not generally the case.
That’s because shot attempts go down which impacts rhythm, offensive and defensive schemes can change and suddenly a player who was full of confidence can start to second guess themselves.
A perfect example would be the Warriors – look at how each of Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and the youngsters’ numbers took a dip when Klay Thompson returned. It simply takes time to regain the rhythm and flow.
Another good example is the Hawks who thrived last season while dealing with constant injuries but with a relatively healthy roster this season struggled to regain that form.
The fact the Heat have seemingly avoided these issues speaks to the quality of the program, Erik Spoelstra’s coaching, and each player accepting their role.
Jimmy Butler (toe) is questionable while Kyle Lowry (personal) and KZ Okpala (wrist) were both downgraded to being out on Friday. Markieff Morris (neck) and Victor Oladipo (knee) are out indefinitely.
NBA Betting Trends:
- The Clippers are 7-3 in the last 10 head to head matches
- The Clippers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
- Over Under is 5-4-1 in the teams last 10 head to head matchups
- The Heat are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games.
- The Clippers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of Miami’s last 14 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Clippers’ last 6 games.
Free LA Clippers vs. Miami Heat NBA Prediction:
Although the Clippers have surprised a few teams they don’t have the weapons or depth to counter the Heat even if Butler is out. The other factor is fatigue as LA plays their sixth consecutive road game with two more to come on this Grammy trip.
One thing working in the Clippers’ favor is their perimeter defense which ranks second overall holding teams to 32.8 percent. Conversely, they rank 27th at paint defense allowing 49.6 points per game which should equate to plenty of paint action by Bam Adebayo and Butler (if he plays).
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Heat ATS
If you’re looking for more NBA picks like this LA Clippers vs. Miami Heat matchup we’ll be providing 4* free NBA predictions on the blog during the entire NBA season, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free NBA predictions!
Register here for a FREE NBA Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!