Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 1/3/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

The Miami Heat (19-14) are en route to Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday where they will attempt to beat the Los Angeles Lakers (17-17).

The Heat stepped onto the hardwood against the Clippers and ended up losing by a score of 121-104 in their last game. Miami walked away from the contest with a 42.2% FG percentage (35 out of 83) and buried 11 of their 34 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Heat made 23 of their 29 shots for a percentage of 79.3%. In relation to rebounding, they collected a total of 35 with 12 of them being offensive. They also dished out 24 dimes for this game as well as forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When talking about defense, Miami allowed their opponent to shoot 58.8% from the field on 47 out of 80 shooting. Los Angeles earned 25 assists and had 10 steals in the game. Furthermore, Los Angeles grabbed 37 rebounds (6 offensive, 31 defensive) and earned 3 blocked shots. Los Angeles ended up going 92.9% when shooting free throws by making 13 of 14 shots. They also made 14 of their 29 tries from 3-point range. With respect to personal fouls, the Heat walked away with 17 while the Clippers finished the game with 20 personal fouls.

Bam Adebayo is one guy who had an impact for the game. Adebayo finished the game at 35.3% from the floor and totaled 4 assists. He played 36 minutes and also snagged 15 boards. He scored 21 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

Miami steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 19-14 on the campaign. They turn it over 13.3 times per game and as a unit they are committing 18.7 fouls every game. As a unit, Miami is pulling in 41.4 boards per contest and has totaled 857 assists on the season, which is 16th in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Heat are hitting 38.8% on shots from downtown (421 of 1,085) and 82.4% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 113.0 points per contest (22nd in the NBA) while connecting on 47.0% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Heat are forcing 14.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 20.5 fouls. They are giving up 37.1% on three-point shots while they are 8th in the NBA in PPG allowed (112.0). The Heat defense is giving up a FG percentage of 48.1% (1,364 of 2,836) and they surrender 42.1 rebounds per game as a group. They are 21st in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 881 relinquished for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Lakers went home defeated by a final of 129-109 when they played the Pelicans. With respect to rebounding, Los Angeles allowed New Orleans to pull down 47 overall (12 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 50.0% from downtown by going 17 of 34 and walked away from this one shooting 22 out of 27 from the free throw line (81.5%). The Lakers allowed the Pelicans to knock down 45 of 87 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 51.7% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Lakers walked away from this one shooting 39 out of 82 from the floor which had them sitting at 47.6%. Regarding shooting from beyond the arc, Los Angeles made 10 out of their 32 attempts (31.3%). They were able to bury 21 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 84.0%. The Pelicans had 22 personal fouls in the game which got the Lakers to the charity stripe for a total of 25 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 8 steals in this game. The Lakers were able to snag 31 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards for a total of 35 in the game.

LeBron James ended up being a factor for the Lakers for the matchup. He buried 12 out of 24 for the matchup giving him a rate of 50.0%, and added 5 rebounds. James accumulated 34 points in his 37 mins of playing time and added 8 dimes in the game.

Los Angeles has a win-loss record of 17-17 on the year. As an offensive unit, the Lakers are shooting 48.5% from the floor, which ranks 7th in the league. Los Angeles has 3,884 pts on the season (114.2 per contest) and they collect 43.6 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 27.4 times per contest (9th in the league) and they turn it over 13.9 times per game. The Lakers commit 17.0 personal fouls every game and they go 77.1% from the free throw line.

The Los Angeles defense allows 37.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (478 of 1,269) and opponents are connecting on 77.8% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 27.0 assists and 44.7 boards every game, which is ranked 21st and 23rd in the NBA. The Lakers on the defensive end are ranked 16th in the league in PPG surrendered with 114.7. They are able to force 13.9 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.6% from the floor (12th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Miami

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