Heat vs Pacers Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Monday, December 12th

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

Heat vs Pacers NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers
Where: Indianapolis at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Date: Monday, December 12th
Betting Odds IND +2.5, MIA -141 | IND +116 O/U 228.0

So far, the Heat have put together an overall record of 12-15, while going 8-18-1 vs the spread. In the teams past 3 games, their overall mark sits at 1-2. Miami is 0-3 vs the spread in these matchups.

In their previous game, the Heat were favored to win vs the Spurs. However, their 115-111 loss, gave them both a straight up and ATS loss. Miami was not able to turn things around in the 2nd half, as they trailed the Spurs by 4 going into halftime. In the loss, Jimmy Butler led the team in scoring with 30 points on a field goal percentage of 68.8%.

The Pacers come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 14-13. So far, the team has gone 15-12-0 against the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Indiana has an overall record of 1-2, including going 1-2 against the spread.

The Pacers are coming off a dissappointing 136-133 loss to the Nets. Going into the game, they were favored to win by 8 points. Indiana let an opportunity for a win slip away as they held a lead going into the 2nd half of action. Leading the team in scoring was Tyrese Haliburton, as he contributed 35 points while hitting 80.0% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

I Similar to their season-long average, the Heat averaged 109.67 points per game vs the Pacers. While the Heat were able to maintain their usual level of production against Indiana, the Pacers averaged fewer points per game in the series, at 100.67. Across the previous 5 meetings between the teams, the Heat have an average scoring margin of +6 points per game, leading to an ATS mark of 3-2. A combined average of 202 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

This season, the Miami offense is ranked 28th in the NBA in scoring at 108.6 points per game. So far, the Heat are averaging 98.0 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. If the Heat offense is going to turn things around, they will need to either generate more possessions or improve their overall efficiency. Currently, they are just 21st ranked team in 3-point shooting percentage.

So far, the Heat have played well defensively, as they are ranked 4th in the league at 105.57 points per contest.

On offense, Bam Adebayo leads the Heat in scoring at 20.8 points per game, placing him 43rd in the NBA. Overall, Adebayo has hit 53.3% of his shots while accounting for 17.8% of the team’s looks from the field. In today’s game, he will be working against a defensive unit that is 29th in points allowed to centers. At 20.1 points per game, Tyler Herro is the 2nd leading scorer for the Heat. For the season, he is 106th in the league in player efficiency rating, while posting a field goal percentage of 45.1%.

Coming into today’s action, Indiana is averaging 115.9 points per contest. This figure places them 7th in the league. So far, Indiana is averaging 101.5 possessions per game, making them one of the more up-tempo teams in the league. Although the team is playing at an up-tempo speed, they would benefit from scoring with more efficiency, as they are just 23rd in the league in overall field goal percentage at 53.9%.

Defensively, Indiana has had its problems giving up an average of 114.94 points per game (26th).

This season, the Pacers offense has primarily worked through Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 25 games, Haliburton is 48th in the NBA at 20.2 points per game. So far, him and Mathurin have accounted for 32% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 38.099999999999994 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Bennedict Mathurin is grabbing 4.1 rebounds for Indiana to go along with 1.6 assists.