NBA Handicapping Predictions – Pacers vs Heat
The Heat won Game 1 by 9 points, but they got some bad news since Chris Bosh is out indefinitely with an abdominal injury. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade dominated the 2nd half in Game 1, as they either assisted on or scored 48 of Miami’s 53 2nd half points.
Venue/ Stadium: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
Time/Date: 7 PM EST Tuesday, May 15, 2012
NBA Odds From: Bovada
Moneyline: Pacers +320 / Heat -400
Spread (ATS): Heat -7
Over/Under: 185.5
Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Preview
The Pacers did not shoot the rock well in Game 1 and the team’s leading scorer in the regular season Danny Granger only went for 7 points. NBA lines have the Heat as 7-point favorites in Game 2 with a total of 185.5.
In Game 1 the Heat beat the Pacers 95-86.
This season the Pacers are 35-37 ATS with an O/U record of 36-34-2 and the Heat are 37-35 ATS with an O/U record of 27-43-2.
Unlike the 2nd half of the regular season the Heat attacked the rim and did not settle for jumpers. The Pacers must play better interior defense and now allow the Heat to get easy buckets in the paint. In an interesting trend Miami is 17-2 this season, including Game 1, when they score at least 40 points within 5 feet of the basket.
David West and Roy Hibbert played well in Game 1 combining for 34 points with each player shooting 50% from the floor. However, they did not get much help. Granger was 1/10 from the floor and the G duo of George Hill and Paul George shot a combined 5/15 from the floor. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
In Game 2 the Pacers need a better all around game on offense, as Granger needs to get back on track, West and Hibbert need to score in the paint, and the Indy guards have to knock down some jumpers.
With Bosh out James will need help on the boards and also need help with interior defense. Udonis Haslem and the C duo of Ronny Turiaf and Joel Anthony will have to step up and take up the slack with Bosh out and while their offense is not very important their D will be.
The Heat missed all 6 of their 3-pointers and they still won Game 1 by 9 points. This showed how much the Heat dominated the paint, especially in the 2nd half, and the Pacers have to force the Heat into tougher shots not close to the hoop.
In some betting trends for this Eastern Conference match up the Pacers are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games following a S.U. loss, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog of 5.0-10.5 points, and they have an Under record of 5-2 in their last 7 games.
The Heat are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games, 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite, and they have an Under record of 23-7 in their last 30 home games.
Jason’s Pick: Even with Bosh out I think James and company will play like they did in Game 1 attacking the hoop and playing good D. Take the Heat to win and cover in this game.