New Orleans Pelicans vs Miami Heat Prediction, 1/1/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Miami Heat

Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Location: Kaseya Center in Miami, FL

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Kaseya Center is where the Miami Heat (16-14) will try to beat the New Orleans Pelicans (5-27) on Wednesday.

The Pelicans took the court against the Grizzlies and took a loss by a final of 132-124 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Pelicans walked away with 25 and the Grizzlies finished the game with 19 personal fouls. They also made 17 of their 41 attempts from distance. Memphis finished shooting 88.6% when shooting free throws by burying 31 of 35 shots. Furthermore, Memphis grabbed 42 rebounds (9 offensive, 33 defensive) and earned 10 blocked shots. Memphis dished out 30 dimes and had 12 steals for the game. Concerning defense, New Orleans allowed their opponent to shoot 47.2% from the floor on 42 of 89 shooting. They also recorded 30 assists for this game while forcing 17 turnovers and having 13 steals. When it comes to hauling in boards, they collected 45 with 12 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Pelicans converted 27 of their 29 attempts for a percentage of 93.1%. New Orleans wrapped up the game having earned a 44.8% field goal percentage (43 of 96) and made 11 of their 38 3-point attempts.

Trey Murphy III is one player who was a contributor in this contest. He ended up walking away with 35 points on 10 of 21 shooting. He played 39 minutes and pulled down 3 rebounds. Murphy finished the game shooting 47.6% from the floor and distributed 4 assists.

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New Orleans comes into this game with a win-loss record of 5-27 so far this season. They currently have an average of 106.5 points per outing (28th in the NBA) on 43.8% from the field. The Pelicans are connecting on 33.0% from downtown (355 of 1,075) and 76.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, New Orleans is pulling in 43.2 rebounds per game and has tallied 779 assists for the year, which has them ranked 20th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 15.3 times per game and as a unit are committing 18.5 fouls every game.

On defense, the Pelicans are forcing their opponents into 15.0 turnovers per game and they draw 17.8 personal fouls. They give up 37.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 25th in the league in points per game allowed (118.0). The Pelicans defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 48.5% (1,397 of 2,881) and they surrender 45.8 boards per contest as a unit. They are currently ranked 28th in basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 913 surrendered so far this year.

When they last played, the Heat walked away with a victory by a final of 104-100 when they faced the Rockets. The Heat were able to snag 37 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive rebounds totaling 52 for the contest. They gave up possession 15 times, while earning 6 steals in this contest. The Rockets were called for 21 fouls in the game which got the Heat to the charity stripe for 28 tries. They were able to make 20 of the free throws for a rate of 71.4%. In relation to shots from 3-point land, Miami made 10 of their 33 attempts (30.3%). When the game finished, the Heat shot 37 out of 84 from the field which had them at 44.0%. The Heat allowed the Rockets to convert 38 out of their 97 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 39.2% for the game. They finished the game shooting 32.5% from 3-point land by going 13 of 40 and walked away from this one shooting 11 of 13 from the free throw line (84.6%). Concerning team rebounding, Miami permitted Houston to snag 52 in total (19 on the offensive side).

Tyler Herro ended up being a factor for the Heat for the game. Herro accumulated 27 points in his 37 mins of playing time and had 9 assists in the game. He made 10 of 17 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 58.8%, and added 6 rebounds.

Miami has a win-loss mark of 16-14 on the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Heat are hitting on 45.2% from the floor, which is 21st in basketball. Miami has earned 3,331 points for the campaign (111.0 per contest) and they snag 43.5 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 25.4 times per contest (17th in basketball) and they cough up possession 13.5 times per game. The Heat are committing 16.7 fouls per game while shooting 78.4% from the charity stripe.

The Miami defense concedes 36.0% on 3-point shots (403 of 1,119) and opponents are converting on 80.5% of their foul shots. They have allowed 26.4 dimes and 45.5 boards per game, which has them ranked 19th and 25th in the league. The Heat defensively are ranked 6th in the league in points per game surrendered with 108.7. They are forcing their opponents into 15.3 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 45.9% from the floor (12th in the league).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans

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