Knicks vs. Heat prediction, odds, spread and total for Wednesday
The New York Knicks (42-31, 3rd in Atlantic) head to South Beach for the final time as they take on the Miami Heat (39-34, 1st in Southeast) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night at Miami-Dade Arena.
In their last game, Julius Randle notched a career-high 57 points for the Knicks but it wasn't enough in a 140-134 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
The Heat return home after a short two-game road trip this past weekend.
Here are my picks and predictions for this matchup between two playoff bound Eastern Conference opponents with odds powered by Tipico Sportsbook.
Knicks vs. Heat Spread: Knicks +1.5 (-105)
While these teams will both be playing in the postseason this year, they're complete opposites when it comes to covering the spread.
The Knicks are the fifth best team against the spread (ATS) this season at 40-30-3 while Miami currently has the worst ATS record in the NBA, covering in only 37 percent of games. New York has covered in 11 of its last 16 overall.
The Heat are only 3-9 against the spread in their prior 12 home games.
Take the Knicks to cover this small number tonight.
Knicks vs. Heat total: Under 224.5 points (-112)
The under is the clear play in this matchup as it features two of the best defensive units in the NBA. The total has gone under this line in seven of the previous eight meetings with the lone exception being the last time these two teams met on Mar. 3.
Take the prior matchup as an outlier as I'm betting we see fewer than 225 points scored in this one.
Knicks vs. Heat moneyline: Knicks (+110)
With the first two matchups decided by a combined four points, this should set up for yet another exciting, tightly contested game between these two opponents.
In their last time out, Randle hit a miraculous, off-balance three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to lift the Knicks to a 122-120 victory to extend New York's winning streak to eight games.
I expect we see a similar script in this one but with the Knicks winning by a little more of a comfortable margin and going for the season sweep on Mar. 29 at Madison Square Garden.
If you're looking for some value on Tipico, wager on New York to win this one by five points or less (+490) or for this game to potentially go to overtime at +850.
My Best Bets
Place a bet on the Knicks at +110 on the moneyline, to cover the small +1.5 spread (-105) and the under 224.5 total points at -110 on Tipico Sportsbook.
