Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Prediction, 12/28/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat

Date: Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Location: FTX Arena in Miami, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

The Miami Heat will go up against the Los Angeles Lakers at FTX Arena on Wednesday.

The Lakers stepped onto the hardwood against the Mavericks and took a loss by a score of 124-115 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Lakers left the arena with 23 while the Mavericks totaled 26 fouls. They also buried 18 of their 44 shots from distance. Dallas walked away from this one shooting 72.0% when shooting free throws by converting 18 of their 25 shots. Additionally, Dallas totaled 38 rebounds (11 offensive, 27 defensive) and got 2 blocks. Dallas recorded 31 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. Pertaining to the defense, Los Angeles allowed 52.4% from the floor on 44 out of 84 shooting. They also doled out 18 assists for the matchup while creating 11 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Concerning rebounding, they collected 35 with 6 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the Lakers converted 28 of their 32 attempts for a percentage of 87.5%. Los Angeles wrapped up the contest having earned a 48.8% FG percentage (39 out of 80) and converted 9 of 28 shots from distance.

LeBron James is one guy who was a factor in this matchup. He notched 38 points on 13 out of 23 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 mins and collected 6 boards. James finished the game shooting 56.5% from the field and also totaled 5 assists.

Get all of our NBA Betting Picks

Los Angeles enters this one with a mark of 13-20 for the season. They are giving up possession 14.4 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Los Angeles is snagging 44.5 boards per game and has accounted for 808 dimes so far this year, which is 19th in the league in terms of passing. The Lakers are hitting 33.5% from downtown (335 of 999) and 79.8% from the free throw line. They have an average of 115.7 points per contest (7th in the league) while hitting 47.8% from the field.

On defense, the Lakers are forcing 13.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 21.5 personal fouls. They give up 35.0% on shots from downtown and they are 27th in the league in opponents points per game (118.0). The Lakers defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 47.2% (1,466 of 3,108) and they surrender 46.1 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are ranked 24th in the NBA in allowing assists to their opponents with 869 relinquished on the campaign.

In their last game, the Heat went home victorious with a score of 113-110 when they played the Timberwolves. In regard to cleaning up the glass, Miami allowed Minnesota to snag 44 in all (8 offensive). They went 44.1% from 3-point land by shooting 15 of 34 and finished the game at 9 of 14 from the free throw line (64.3%). The Heat permitted the Timberwolves to convert 43 of 79 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 54.4% for the game. At the conclusion of this game, the Heat finished shooting 47 for 102 from the field which gave them a rate of 46.1%. In terms of shots from beyond the perimeter, Miami converted 13 of their 49 attempts (26.5%). They were able to knock down 6 of those for a percentage of 75.0%. The Timberwolves earned 14 fouls in the game which took the Heat to the free throw line for a total of 8 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while recording 9 steals in this matchup. The Heat were able to snag 27 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 for this contest.

Max Strus ended up having an impact for the Heat in the matchup. He knocked down 7 out of 12 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and totaled 3 rebounds. Strus tallied 19 points in his 25 minutes on the court, but left the arena with no assists.

Miami has a record of 17-17 so far this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Heat are hitting on 45.2% from the field, which is 26th in the league. Miami has totaled 3,676 pts this year (108.1 per contest) and they grab 40.8 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 23.9 times per contest (22nd in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.7 times per game. The Heat commit 19.0 personal fouls every game and they go 82.2% from the free throw line.

The Miami defense surrenders 36.2% on shots from distance (451 of 1,245) and their opponents are making 77.1% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 25.7 assists and 43.5 rebounds every game, which is 21st and 16th in the NBA. The Heat defensively are ranked 4th in the league in points allowed per game with 109.2. They are able to force 16.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 47.5% from the floor (21st in the league).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Los Angeles

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here