Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers Prediction, 3/31/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers

Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: Fox Sports Indiana

Odds/Point Spread: Miami (-1.5)

The Miami Heat (23-24) go to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday where they'll take on the Indiana Pacers (21-24). Miami opens this game as 1.5-point favorites. The total has been set at 217.

The Miami Heat stepped onto the hardwood against the New York Knicks and walked away with a win by a score of 98-88 in their last game. Miami walked away from the contest having earned a 43.0% FG percentage (37 out of 86) and made 10 of 34 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the free throw line, the Heat made 14 of 17 attempts for a percentage of 82.4%. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 47 with 12 of them being offensive. They also dished out 22 assists for the game as well as creating 13 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When discussing the defense, Miami let their opponent shoot 41.3% from the floor on 33 out of 80 shooting. New York doled out 15 dimes and had 4 steals in this game. On top of that, New York totaled 41 rebounds (6 offensive, 35 defensive) and had 5 blocks. New York ended up shooting 60.0% at the free throw line by burying 12 of their 20 attempts. They knocked down 10 of 36 shots from long range.

Jimmy Butler is one guy who played a role in this game. He scored 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 34:00 minutes played and also snagged 5 rebounds. Butler ended up going 66.7% from the floor and also distributed 6 assists. An additional guy that was a major factor in the matchup for the Heat was Bam Adebayo. He had 17 rebounds in his 37:29 min on the basketball court. He shot 52.9% from the floor for the contest by shooting 9-of-17 (20 points). When the final whistle blew, Adebayo accounted for 4 assists.

Miami steps onto the court with a mark of 23-24 so far this year. The Heat are connecting on 34.5% on three-point shots (592 of 1,717) and 79.4% from the free throw line. They have an average of 106.3 points per outing (26th in the NBA) while hitting 45.8% from the floor. They turn it over 14.8 times per contest and as a squad are committing 19.0 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Miami is grabbing 42.9 boards per game and has accounted for 1,213 assists for the campaign, which is 5th in the league in terms of passing. Defensively, the Heat are forcing 15.0 turnovers every game and they draw 20.1 fouls. They currently rank 24th in basketball in giving up assists with 1,193 surrendered for the season. The Heat defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 44.5% (706 of 946) and they surrender 44.1 rebounds per game as a unit. They give up 36.3% on 3-point attempts and they are 5th in the league in PPG allowed (107.6).

For their last game, the Indiana Pacers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 132-124 against the Washington Wizards. The Pacers pulled down 30 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 in the matchup. They also turned it over 14 times, while getting 11 steals in the game. The Wizards were called for 24 fouls for this game which got the Pacers to the charity stripe for a total of 33 shots. They were able to convert 24 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 72.7%. When discussing three-point attempts, Indiana made 12 out of their 30 attempts (40.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Pacers finished shooting 44 for 93 from the floor which had them at 47.3%. The Pacers permitted the Wizards to knock down 55 of their 99 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 55.6% for the game. They finished 52.6% from 3-point land by shooting 10 of 19 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 18 at the charity stripe (66.7%). When talking about rebounds, Indiana allowed Washington to snag 55 overall (12 offensive).

Domantas Sabonis ended up being important for the Pacers for the matchup. He converted 12 out of 19 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 63.2%, and accumulated 11 rebounds. Sabonis tallied 35 points in his 37:20 minutes of playing time and tallied 6 dimes for the contest. An additional guy that ended up playing a role for Indiana was Malcolm Brogdon. He came away with 8 assists in 33:05 minutes on the hardwood, and he knocked down 8 out of 17 from the floor. Brogdon ended the game having shot 47.1% from the field while also totaling 26 points and 4 rebounds.

Indiana has a record of 21-24 so far this year. The Pacers have committed 20.1 fouls per game and they connect on 78.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 26.9 times per game (5th in basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.7 times per contest. Indiana has accumulated 5,098 pts on the season (113.3 per game) and they grab 41.7 boards per game. As an offense, the Pacers are hitting on 47.1% from the field, which is 12th in the NBA. The Pacers on the defensive end are ranked 21st in the NBA in points given up per game with 113.2. The Indiana defense allows 38.1% on shots from distance (539 of 1,416) and opponents are making 78.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 25.9 dimes and 45.3 boards per game, which is ranked 25th and 21st in basketball. They are forcing 15.5 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 47.1% from the field (22nd in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Indiana (+1.5)

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