Free NBA Pick: Heat vs. Pelicans NBA Odds
Looking for Miami Heat vs. New Orleans Pelicans free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Heat taking on the Pelicans on Thursday March 4th at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Heat Pelicans matchup.
2021 NBA Handicapping
(17-18) Miami Heat vs. New Orleans Pelicans (15-20)
Date: Thursday, March 4th
Time: 8:30 PM EST
Venue: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans LA
NBA Moneyline Odds: Heat +130| Pelicans -150
NBA Betting Odds: Pelicans -3
NBA Betting Total: 227
The Miami Heat head into the all star break in the 7 seed in the East. That’s saying something with all the injuries Miami has had to deal with this season not to mention the hangover from being in the NBA Finals last season.
New Orleans is a 3-point favorite on Thursday night despite playing on the back to back. The Hornets put up 120+ points again on Wednesday, but also still lost 128-124 at home to the Bulls.
Miami Heat
There would seem to be some value on the Heat getting +3 points in this matchup, especially as the Pelicans play on short rest. JImmy Butler is questionable though, and Miami looked lost without him in a 94-80 loss to Atlanta on Tuesday.
Bam Adebayo has also been added to the injury report with a knee ailment. With this being the last game before the all-star layoff, it would be easy to see the Heat resting their big man.
Miami may be playing with a skeleton crew in this matchup, but they’re still a very deep team. Kendrick Nunn has 20+ in 3 of the last 6, Goran Dragic seems to be back healthy, and Tyler Herro is back to his bench role where he’s more comfortable.
With Adebayo out, that leaves a big hole in the post though against New Orleans who is great on the blocks. Kelly Olynyk will likely move to the C spot and he doesn’t have much help behind him.
New Orleans Pelicans
What does New Orleans have left in the tank after Wednesday night’s loss to the Bulls? They gave up another huge night to the Chicago back court, with Coby White and Zach LaVine combining for 61 points. That’s still better than the 76 points the duo had in a February 10th meeting with New Orleans.
The Pelicans are one of those weird teams that can beat anybody – but also lose to anybody. That’s never been more evident than in the last week, when they notched a 129-124 victory over Utah only to lose to the Bulls.
The back to back right before the all-star break doesn’t do the Pelicans any favors either. Zion Williamson played 38 minutes on Wednesday vs. the Bulls, scoring 28 points but still. Eric Bledsoe played 42 minutes.
New Orleans did do some preserving for the Heat game. Lonzo Ball had just 27 minutes vs. Chicago, Brandon Ingram 25, and Steven Adams 22. They should all be full bore vs. Miami, especially with a long break upcoming.
NBA Betting Trends:
- Heat are 6-1 ATS last 7 games
- Under is 5-2 in Heat last 7 as a road underdog
- Pelicans are 0-4 ATS last 4 as a favorite
- Over is 26-4 in Pelicans last 30 overall
Free Miami Heat vs. New Orleans Pelicans NBA Prediction:
This game all comes down to who plays for the Heat. If Butler and Adebayo are both out, Miami doesn’t have near enough to contend with New Orleans. If they play though, the Heat can not only cover but win outright.
This games in New Orleans right before an all-star layoff. It would be very easy to see the Heat come out flat in this one. The Pels are on the back to back, but they also preserved a lot of minutes from some key contributors.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Pelicans -3
Williamson will dominate in the post if Adebayo is not in there.
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