Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 30/11/2023, 02:55  by Joseph King | Modified on 30/11/2023 at 03:25 in NBA Predictions

An Eastern Conference matchup in the NBA on Thursday sees the seventh-place Miami Heat playing host to the sixth-placed Indiana Pacers. This is the first of a double-header between these two who will face off again at the Kaseya Center on Saturday. It’s been a streaky season for the Heat so far who started off 1-4 out of the gates before ripping off seven straight wins. They’ve been on a downturn since then, winning only two of their next six and losing the last three in a row. Their most recent appearance resulted in a 131-124 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the In-Season Tournament. It was a particularly disappointing result for Miami as they held a four point lead heading into the fourth quarter. They’ll be expecting to have Jimmy Butler available for this one after the six-time All-Star missed the clash on Tuesday.

The Pacers continue to surprise the league as they look to be well-ahead of where many thought they would be coming into the year. Indiana finished with a losing record for the third consecutive season in the previous campaign with their 35-47 record. However, they’ll be hopeful of securing a playoff berth this time around as their 9-7 record currently has them sitting sixth. Their success so far this year has come thanks to their high-octane offense which is among the best in the NBA. The Pacers rank fifth in adjusted offensive rating and are averaging the most points per game in the entire league by a good margin at 127.6. Pacers’ games this season have been frenetic contests as they provide very little resistance on the defensive side of the ball. In addition to their high points scored total, Indiana are also allowing the second-most points per game in the league at 124.8. The result has been nearly all of their games flying over the posted points total.