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In one of 10 games Friday night, the Indiana Pacers will head down to South Beach to play the Miami Heat at 8 p.m. ET. These two teams will play each other again on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
The Pacers are coming into the contest on a two-game losing streak. Indiana lost 124-115 to the Brooklyn Nets at home on Wednesday night. The Pacers have lost four out of their last five games and are 1-2 with Caris LeVert back in the starting lineup. They are also 2-8 in their last 10 contests.
Meanwhile, the Heat saw their five-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday after they lost 89-85 to the Memphis Grizzlies on the road. Despite the defeat, Miami has slowly been moving up the standings and are now 8-2 in their last 10 games.
Can the Heat put together another win streak? Or will the Pacers be able to snap their losing streak? We’ll go over some ideal picks on DraftKings Sportsbook centered around the game here.
Pacers vs. Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
Pick ATS: Heat -4
The line for Friday night’s game is currently set at four points, with the Heat favored at home. The Pacers have struggled defensively in their 10 last games, allowing teams to shoot 51.4 percent from the field and score 115.4 points per game. It’s not a recipe for success.
In their last two losses, Indiana has given up 122.5 points per game and allowed opposing teams to shoot 47.3 percent from the field. Coincidentally, the Pacers lost the rebounding battle in both games to the Brooklyn Nets and Denver Nuggets. This season, Indiana are 7-20 when the opposing teams win the rebounding battle.
Additionally, the Pacers are 1-9 against the spread in their last 10 games and 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against a team from the southeast division. As for Miami, they’ve been one of the hotter teams in the NBA recently.
They are 8-2 in their last 10 games, which has been sparked by the play of Jimmy Butler. Butler is averaging 26.4 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds. He’s also shooting 52.6 percent from the field over that duration. Unlike the Pacers, who are struggling ATS, the Heat have a record of 9-4 in their last 13 games. But they are only 8-11-1 ATS at home this season.
Player Prop: Jimmy Butler O7.5 assists (+100)
This is a prop bet that could fall to even money as we get closer to game time. Therefore, it would be best to play it as soon as possible on a single ticket. This season, Butler has been playing well for Miami, averaging 21.8 points, 7.6 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game. He has gone over his prop total in 17 out of 27 games played. In the Heat’s last five contests, Butler is averaging 6.8 assists, but has gone over 7.5 assists three times.
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