Jefferson Alfaro
A great number of games will take place this Wednesday in the best basketball league in the world, the NBA, and one of the most interesting matches will be the Heat vs Pelicans, a clash between teams from different conferences.
You can find the greatest Miami Heat vs New Orleans Pelicans betting preview here, at JefeBet, along with the best odds and predictions for this game.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the Miami Heat vs New Orleans Pelicans NBA Regular Season Game on January 18, 2023
- Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- When: Wednesday, January 18, 2023, 8:00 PM E.T.
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Betting on the Miami Heat
- Season record: 24-21
The Miami Heat started a series of several away games on the wrong foot after losing 113-121 to the Atlanta Hawks last Monday, a result that snapped their three-game winning streak.
Despite a great performance by Jimmy Butler with 34 points, playing on the road continues to be a problem for this squad, which has lost 12 of the 21 games it has played in that condition.
However, Miami remains a tough nut to crack thanks to its defensive solidity, which places it as the second-best team in this department, averaging 108.8 touchdowns allowed per game.
Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans
- Season record: 26-18
After 5 consecutive games away from home, the New Orleans Pelicans return to the Smoothie King Center with the goal of improving the inconsistent results they have suffered in recent weeks.
In fact, their most recent meeting culminated in a 103-113 loss to the Cavaliers, in a game in which they were completely neutralized on offense by the best defensive squad in the league. This result keeps them 4.5 games out of the lead in the Western Conference, behind only Denver and Memphis.
The absence of Zion Williamson, the player with the best scoring average on the team, is one of the reasons why the local team is not playing to its full potential. Williamson has already missed 7 games due to an injury from which he was expected to recover in 3 weeks, but fortunately, he’s not far from returning to activity.
JefeBet Prediction
Miami will not have things so easy away from home, and this was evidenced by the loss to Atlanta. They will now go to face one of the greatest teams in the Western Conference, relying heavily on their defense in an effort to come out unscathed from this game.
However, they are also the worst team offensively, averaging just 108.9 points per game, a figure that is well below that of the Pelicans (average of 117), a team that is missing its best scorer.
Without Williamson, they struggled against the Cavaliers, so it is expected that, against another solid opponent, the story will have a similar ending and will not reflect an exaggerated amount of points in the final score.
Prediction: Under.
