Through 2 Quarters
The experts predicted a win for the Miami Heat, but it’s no sure thing at this point. At halftime neither team has the game in the bag, but Miami leads 58-55 over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Center Bam Adebayo (17 points) and small forward Jimmy Butler (15 points) have been the top scorers for the Heat. One thing to keep an eye out for is DeWayne Dedmon’s foul situation as he currently sits at three.
New Orleans has been relying on point guard Devonte’ Graham, who has ten points and three assists along with two steals and two rebounds, and center Jonas Valanciunas, who has ten points and two assists in addition to six boards.
The Pelicans haven’t been much of a second-half team this season, losing 73% of the time when they were down at the break.
Who’s Playing
Miami @ New Orleans
Current Records: Miami 35-20; New Orleans 22-32
What to Know
The New Orleans Pelicans haven’t won a game against the Miami Heat since March 6 of 2020, but they’ll be looking to end the drought Thursday. New Orleans has the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Miami at 7:30 p.m. ET Feb. 10 at Smoothie King Center. These two teams seek to continue their momentum from their previous wins.
The Pelicans strolled past the Houston Rockets with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the matchup 110-97. New Orleans’ small forward Brandon Ingram did his thing and had 26 points in addition to three blocks.
Meanwhile, Miami made easy work of the Washington Wizards on Monday and carried off a 121-100 victory. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Miami had established a 91-70 advantage. Their success was spearheaded by the efforts of center Bam Adebayo, who had 21 points along with seven boards, and point guard Gabe Vincent, who had 16 points and eight assists.
The Pelicans are expected to lose this next one by 4. They are currently five-for-five against the spread in their most recent games, however, a trend bettors might want to take into account.
The wins brought New Orleans up to 22-32 and the Heat to 35-20. Two stats to keep an eye on: New Orleans enters the game with 20.3 fouls drawn per game on average, good for third best in the league. Less enviably, Miami is stumbling into the game with the third most fouls per game in the league, having accrued 20.6 on average.
How To Watch
- When: Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $6.00
Odds
The Heat are a 4-point favorite against the Pelicans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -110
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Miami have won nine out of their last 13 games against New Orleans.
- Nov 17, 2021 – Miami 113 vs. New Orleans 98
- Mar 04, 2021 – Miami 103 vs. New Orleans 93
- Dec 25, 2020 – Miami 111 vs. New Orleans 98
- Mar 06, 2020 – New Orleans 110 vs. Miami 104
- Nov 16, 2019 – Miami 109 vs. New Orleans 94
- Dec 16, 2018 – Miami 102 vs. New Orleans 96
- Nov 30, 2018 – Miami 106 vs. New Orleans 101
- Feb 23, 2018 – New Orleans 124 vs. Miami 123
- Dec 23, 2017 – New Orleans 109 vs. Miami 94
- Mar 15, 2017 – Miami 120 vs. New Orleans 112
- Dec 23, 2016 – New Orleans 91 vs. Miami 87
- Mar 22, 2016 – Miami 113 vs. New Orleans 99
- Dec 25, 2015 – Miami 94 vs. New Orleans 88
Injury Report for New Orleans
- Willy Hernangomez: Out (Covid-19)
- Zion Williamson: Out (Foot)
- Larry Nance Jr.: Out (Knee)
- Kira Lewis Jr.: Out for the Season (Knee)
Injury Report for Miami
- Caleb Martin: Game-Time Decision (Achilles)
- Tyler Herro: Game-Time Decision (Knee)
- Markieff Morris: Out (Neck)
- Victor Oladipo: Out (Knee)
