The New Orleans Pelicans will travel to Miami tonight to battle against the reigning Eastern Conference champions. The Pelicans are coming off a tough 121-106 loss to the Orlando Magic while also losing Brandon Ingram to a knee injury. On the other hand, Miami is coming off a gritty 107-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Can Zion Williamson and the Pelicans bounce back or will the Heat defend home court?
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Miami Heat Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | MoneyLine |
| New Orleans | +3
-108 |
O 209.5
-112 |
+130 |
| Miami | -3
-112 |
U 209.5
-108 |
-155 |
|
**Odds Courtesy of DraftKings** |
|||
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Miami Heat Match Details
- Fixture: New Orleans @ Miami
- Date and Time: March 22, 2024 @ 8:00 pm EST
- Location: Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida
Apex Tale of the Tape
| New Orleans Pelicans | vs. | Miami Heat |
| 42-27 | Record | 38-31 |
| 115.8 | Points Per Game | 109.7 |
| 48.9 | FG% | 46.4 |
| 37.9 | 3PT% | 37.0 |
| 44.4 | Rebounds Per Game | 42.2 |
| 110.9 | Points Allowed Per Game | 109.2 |
| 46.1 | Defensive FG% | 46.9 |
| 34.6 | Defensive 3PT% | 36.0 |
| 78.1 | Defensive FT% | 77.6 |
| 42.3 | Defensive Rebounds Per Game | 42.9 |
| 3-2 | Last 5 W-L | 3-2 |
| 99.02 | Team Pace | 97.05 |
Key Stats
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are currently 5th in the Western Conference standings. Their star player Zion Williamson leads the team in scoring with 22.7 points per game. Co-star Brandon Ingram provides 20.9 points per night but he is out for at least 2 weeks with a left knee contusion. Jonas Valanciunas leads the team in rebounding with 9.2 per game while CJ McCollum makes a team-high 3.3 triples per night.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are currently 7th in the Eastern Conference standings. All-Star forward Jimmy Butler leads the team in scoring with 21.6 points per game. He also averages a team-high 1.4 steals per game. Big man Bam Adebayo leads the team with 10.6 rebounds while also blocking 1.0 shots per night. Midseason acquisition Terry Rozier is leading the playmaking with his 5.2 assists per night.
Injury Report
New Orleans Pelicans
- Dyson Daniels – Out
- Brandon Ingram – Out
Miami Heat
- Tyler Herro – Out
- Kevin Love – Out
- Duncan Robinson – Out
- Caleb Martin – Probable
Game Prediction
Both teams will be without their second-leading scorer in Brandon Ingram and Tyler Herro. The Miami Heat offense has struggled all season, and although the addition of Terry Rozier has helped, they are still in the bottom 5 in terms of points per game. The Pelicans have a bunch of depth that can replace Ingram’s production, as players like CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III have proven numerous times to score 30 on any given night. Therefore, it will be tougher for Miami to replace Herro’s production compared to New Orleans replacing Ingram’s production.
Both teams rank in the top 10 in defense which means that there’s no real advantage on that end of the court for either squad. Zion Williamson played fewer minutes in their game yesterday against Orlando so he should be ready to compete in tonight’s matchup. They are looking to avenge their previous loss and despite being the underdogs in this game based on the odds, I still think they are the better team. Therefore, I am picking the New Orleans Pelicans to cover the spread on the road and keep this game within 3 points.
Final Pick
New Orleans +3 (-108)
For More Sports Content
Jace grew up watching sports as a kid and loves to talk anything sports related. While his primary focus is the NBA and NFL, Jace is well-versed in the sports industry.
Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
