Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, 1/2/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Clippers

Date: Monday, January 2, 2023

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Bally Sports SoCal

The Miami Heat are en route to Crypto.com Arena on Monday where they will play the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Heat faced off with the Lakers and walked away with a win by a score of 112-98 in their last game. Miami ended having earned a 47.8% field goal percentage (44 out of 92) and made 11 out of their 35 three-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Heat converted 13 of their 16 attempts for a rate of 81.3%. In reference to getting rebounds, they earned a total of 37 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 20 dimes for the contest while forcing the other team into 24 turnovers and earning 14 steals. In relation to the defense, Miami allowed the other team to go 48.1% from the field on 37 of 77 shooting. Los Angeles earned 25 dimes and had 2 steals for the contest. On top of that, Los Angeles grabbed 44 rebounds (8 offensive, 36 defensive) and had 4 blocked shots. Los Angeles shot 73.3% at the charity stripe by converting 11 of 15 attempts. They knocked down 13 of 36 attempts from three-point range. With respect to fouls, the Heat ended up with 15 and the Lakers accounted for 16 fouls.

Jimmy Butler is one player who was a factor for the contest. Butler finished 61.1% from the field and distributed 4 assists. He was on the court for 35 minutes and also totaled 5 rebounds. He left the arena with 27 points on 11 out of 18 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Expert Picks

Miami comes into this contest with a win-loss record of 18-17 so far this season. They average 108.2 points per game (30th in the league) while hitting 45.2% from the field. The Heat are connecting on 34.0% from downtown (435 of 1,279) and 82.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Miami is grabbing 40.7 boards per game and has totaled 833 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 17th in the league in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 13.5 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 18.9 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Heat are forcing 16.5 turnovers per game and they draw 19.9 personal fouls. They are giving up 36.2% from beyond the arc while they are 4th in the league in opponents points per game (108.9). The Heat are giving up a FG percentage of 47.5% (1,406 of 2,959) and they concede 43.5 boards per game as a group. They are 22nd in basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 898 surrendered this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Clippers took a defeat with a final score of 116-110 when they played the Celtics. Regarding rebounding, Los Angeles allowed Boston to collect 49 in total (11 offensive). They finished 28.2% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 11 out of 39 and ended up going 17 out of 22 at the charity stripe (77.3%). The Clippers allowed the Celtics to make 44 out of 91 attempts from the field which had them at 48.4% in this contest. When this game wrapped up, the Clippers walked away from this one shooting 43 for 89 from the field which had them shooting 48.3%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, Los Angeles buried 15 of their 39 tries (38.5%). They were able to convert 9 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 64.3%. The Celtics earned 17 personal fouls for this contest which took the Clippers to the free throw line for a total of 14 tries. They also turned it over 12 times, while earning 4 steals for this contest. The Clippers recorded 33 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 41 in the game.

Kawhi Leonard ended up being a major contributor for the Clippers for the contest. Leonard racked up 26 points in his 37 minutes on the hardwood and had 3 assists in this contest. He knocked down 11 out of 16 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 68.8%, and totaled 8 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a record of 21-15 on the campaign. The Clippers have committed 19.9 fouls per game and they go 75.7% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 22.9 times per contest (25th in the NBA) and they are turning it over 15.6 times per contest. Los Angeles has scored 3,930 points for the season (109.2 per game) and they snag 44.4 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offense, the Clippers are shooting 46.4% from the field, which has them ranked 20th in the NBA.

The Los Angeles defense gives up 34.1% from downtown (415 of 1,216) and opponents are making 76.3% of their free throw shots. They give up 24.3 assists and 43.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 10th and 17th in the NBA. The Clippers are ranked 3rd in basketball in points allowed per game with 108.6. They have forced 13.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.4% from the field (3rd in basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Miami

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