NBA Picks: Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat are 5-6 against the spread when playing with revenge this season. This is important to consider when making your NBA picks on Friday night as they take on the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on ESPN starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Sports bettors will find that the Heat are three-point road favorites in the pro-basketball odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total is 183 in the market.

Let's take a closer look at this Eastern Conference affair from a betting perspective, while offering a prediction along the way. 

Miami Heat

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Miami Heat have won five of their last six games, including a convincing 105-85 victory over the Brooklyn Nets as 2.5-point road favorites last time out.

Sports bettors will find that the Heat have compiled a 1-4 straight-up and against-the-spread record when tipping off as a favorite of three or less points away from home, while the UNDER is 3-2 in that situation.

Indiana Pacers

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Indiana Pacers lead the NBA in field-goal percentage defense, which is important to handicap when going against an opponent that leads all teams in shooting with 48.9 percent from the field.

Sports bettors will find that the Pacers are 2-0 against the spread as home underdogs of three points or less, with both games going UNDER the total. 

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers back the Indiana Pacers as one of their pro-basketball picks on Friday night. They've won nine of their 10 home games vs. Eastern Conference opponents in straight-up fashion, while the Miami Heat are just a game over .500 on the road.

NBA Pick: Indiana Pacers +3 

 

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