The Miami Heat are favored to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Indiana Pacers when the two sides meet on Thursday afternoon. The Pacers will need to find a way to stop Jimmy Butler if they want to even up the series and win the contest outright as +149 underdogs.

NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis

There’s not much separating the two teams, but there’s no question Miami possesses the best player in the series. Jimmy Butler proved that in Game 1 by hitting a pair of 3-pointers – his first since March – in the dying minutes of Game 1.

The Heat won and covered as 4-point chalk on Tuesday which brought their against the spreaed (ATS) record to 4-1 in their last five playoff games as favourites. Miami is just 4-5 straight up and against the spread since the start of the Disney World bubble, but the club showed it had an extra gear it could hit when it really counted.

The Pacers remain underdogs in Game 2 despite owning the higher seed. Sports Interaction has Indy priced at +550 ($100 bet pays $550) to come back and win the series. Of course, it would be a lot different if the Pacers had their two best players healthy and available.

Domantas Sabonis continues to sit out because of a foot injury while former All-Star guard Victor Oladipo hasn’t looked like himself since returning for a nasty knee injury he suffered in January 2019.

Oladipo left the court before the end of the first quarter and didn’t return in Game 1 after he got poked in the eye. He’s listed as questionable to play in Game 2. 

All the betting trends are pointing in favour of Under bettors in this contest. The Under is 4-0 in the Pacers’ last four games, and 5-1 in the Heat’s last six games as playoff faves.

Miami Heat

Head coach Erik Spolestra elected to go with a different starting unit for the start of the playoffs. Point guard Kendrick Nunn – who started every game he was healthy this season – didn’t see a minute of action in Game 1 vs. the Pacers.

Veteran guard Goran Gragic started and played the bulk of Nunn’s minutes with Andre Igoudala and Tyler Herro also saw increases in their roles with the club. Nunn struggled to find his shooting stroke in the bubble. He also missed three games for personal reasons.

Indiana Pacers

It’s true the Pacers would be a much more dangerous side if Sabonis and Oladipo were fit and in good form. That being said, there’s a clear pecking order with the current group. The club lives and dies off the production coming from guard Malcom Brogdan and wing T.J. Warren. The pair finished with a combined 44 points in Game 1.

Who Will Win Heat vs. Pacers?

HEAT

Away

103

PACERS

Home

111

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