Heat vs Knicks Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, February 2nd

Check out our free Heat vs Knicks pick and preview for this NBA game in New York. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Heat vs Knicks NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Miami Heat at New York Knicks
Where: New York at Madison Square Garden
Date: Thursday, February 2nd
Betting Odds NY +1.5, MIA -121 | NY +101 O/U 212.5

So far, the Heat have put together an overall record of 29-23, while going 21-29-2 vs the spread. Across the team’s previous 3 games, they have gone 2-1 straight-up and 1-2 vs the spread.

Miami is going for yet another win, as they previously defeated the Cavaliers. With the 100-97 victory, they also covered the spread as 4 point underdogs. This was a highly contested matchup, as Miami was not able to extend their lead in the second half as they went into halftime with a 3 point lead. Leading the team in scoring was Jimmy Butler, as he contributed 23 points while hitting 37.5% of his shots.

So far, the Knicks have put together an overall record of 27-25, while going 26-25-1 vs the spread. Against the Heat, the Knicks are looking to break out of a 2 game losing streak. These defeats have come on an average scoring differential of -6.5 points per contest.

The Knicks are coming off a dissappointing 129-123 loss to the Lakers. Going into the game, they were favored to win by 2 points. New York went on to lose the game despite leading by 1 heading into halftime. In the loss, Jalen Brunson led the team in scoring with 37 points on a field goal percentage of 44.8%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

Not only did the Heat finish with an above .500 record on the road in last year’s head-to-head matchup vs New York, but they also won over half of their games as the road team. Similar to their season-long average, the Heat averaged 109.33 points per game vs the Knicks. Similar to the Heat, the Knicks scored at a rate near the league average. In their games vs Miami, the team averaged 102.33 points per game. The Heat have had the better record vs the spread over the last 5 games, going 3-2. The team’s average scoring margin in these contests sits at 6 points per game. The over-under record in these same games is 2-2-1, with the teams combining for an average of 202 points per game.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Through 52 games, Miami is averaging 108.5 points per game (30th). When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Heat are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 96.9 per contest. Right now, the Heat offense is in search of answers, as not only do they tend to play at a slow pace, but they are just 27th in effective field goal percentage.

On the defensive end of the floor, the Heat are giving up an average of 105.57 points per game, good for 4th in the NBA.

On offense, Bam Adebayo leads the Heat in scoring at 21.4 points per game, placing him 42nd in the NBA. Overall, Adebayo has hit 53.9% of his shots while accounting for 18.4% of the team’s looks from the field. In today’s game, he will be working against a defensive unit that is 4th in points allowed to centers. At 22.0 points per game, Jimmy Butler is the 2nd leading scorer for the Heat. For the season, he is 23rd in the league in player efficiency rating, while posting a field goal percentage of 52.1%.

This season, the New York offense has had their problems scoring the ball as they are a below average unit at 114.4 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Knicks will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.9 made 3’s per game. If the New York offense is going to improve, they must continue to do a good job avoiding turnovers. Currently, the unit is 3rd in fewest turnovers per game.

On the defensive end of the floor, the Knicks are giving up an average of 106.6 points per game, good for 6th in the NBA.

Power-Foward Julius Randle currently leads the Knicks at 24.7 points per game. For the season, he is 29th in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 20.1% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, Randle is averaging 10.9 boards and 4.1 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 11th ranked defense at defending power-fowards. Jalen Brunson enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 49 games, he is averaging 22.8 and is 65th in the league in player efficiency rating.