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The Miami Heat and New York Knicks are close to each other and on the bubble for Eastern Conference playoff spots, and based on their talent level, could stick around there all year. Each team would love to pick up a win when they face off in a regular season matchup down in Miami this week.
The Heat has a slightly better record, and coupling that with the home court advantage, should make them decent favorites in this matchup. The Knicks have been hanging around .500 this season but have struggled mightily on the road. They need to pick it up in order to have a chance to pick up a victory in this showdown.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, January 5, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at the American Airlines Arena. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Friday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Knicks are 18-19 straight up and 20-17 against the spread on the season. They have only covered in five of 15 attempts on the road this season and hope to get better in that facet.
The Heat is 19-17 straight up and 15-19-2 against the spread. Miami is just 4-11-2 against the spread at home this year, and will aim to change that. The Heat is 5-9-1 against the spread as the favorite on the year.
Last Meeting
The Knicks defeated the Heat 115 - 86 the first time these two teams met back on November 29th. New York got the win despite losing leading scorer Kristaps Porzingis to a sprained ankle just two-and-a-half minutes into the contest.
The Knicks took control early, taking a 21-point lead at halftime, and never looked back. Enes Kanter stepped up nicely in Porzingis’ absence and finished recorded a team-high 22 points and 14 rebounds in the victory while Courtney Lee added another 17 points for the Knicks.
Miami shot just 38.1 percent from the field in that first matchup with Kelly Olynyk finishing as the team’s highest scorer with 18 points off the bench. The Knicks committed more turnovers that the Heat in that first meeting, but were much sharper shooting-wise and out-rebounded Miami as well.
Player to Watch
Hassan Whiteside -- Miami was without arguably its best player for several weeks due to a knee injury. He returned in late December and that is a huge boost for the Heat. Whiteside is averaging 14.3 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game this season.
He is impressive on the defensive end of the floor and will be counted on to plug up the lane against New York. Miami was able to stay afloat without its standout big man and will aim to really take off with Whiteside back into the fold.
They are 2-1 since his return. Whiteside had nine points and 13 rebounds in a 117-111 win over the Magic on Dec. 30.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Knicks dominated the first matchup, but this one should be much closer. These teams are close in talent level despite the results of the first contest.
In fact, Miami may have a small edge and also gets to play on its home floor. The Knicks have some young key players on their team and they have yet to find out how to win on the road. This team could improve as the year goes on and it gains experience, but for now the Heat is the choice to win this game.
Keep an eye on the spread, because New York figures to hang around until the very end in this one. The scoring total could be lower than most games as neither team lights up the hoop on a regular basis.
NBA Odds: Heat 103, Knicks 100
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