Miami has won on Christmas each of the last six years and is 9-2 all-time on the holiday, a winning percentage slightly behind Portland for the NBA’s best. The Heat will look to improve on that record when they host the disappointing New Orleans Pelicans and their superstar Anthony Davis.
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TRAVEL
Forgive the Pelicans if they’re a little road-weary about now. New Orleans had one of its grittier efforts to end a five-game road trip, knocking off the Nuggets 130-125 on Sunday. That came one game after coach Alvin Gentry called out his squad for not playing hard in a loss at Phoenix two days earlier. The Pels stopped off at their home base for a game with Portland on Wednesday before getting right back on a plane for their Christmas Day showdown with the Heat. The fellas will keep their bags packed for a return trip to New Orleans for a battle with division rival Houston on Saturday. The Pelicans are not good away from the Smoothie King Center. Their three road victories are just one more than the pitiful Lakers have and they are a disappointing 6-10 ATS.
A home-heavy opening part of the schedule that will continue though the first week in January has the Heat in first place in the Southwest Division. This will be Miami’s 19th game at the AAA in their first 28 and they used it to their advantage, going 12-5 SU but just 8-8-1 ATS through their first 17 home contests.
INJURIES
It’s been a season of few wins and plenty of injuries for the Pelicans. Center Alexis Ajinca suffered a strained left calf last week and is questionable to be ready in time for Friday’s game. Ajinca missed most of training camp with a strained hamstring and was inserted into the starting lineup before his recent setback.
Heat reserve guard Tyler Johnson reinjured his shoulder last week and is questionable to suit up on Christmas. Miami could also be without backup forwards Josh McRoberts and Chris Andersen for the game.
KEY MATCHUP
It’s easy to block shots and gather a bushel of rebounds when you stand 7-foot, have an enormous wingspan and are as athletic as Hassan Whiteside. But the gifted center’s play around the basket has been more of a detriment to the Heat. The analytics suggest Miami is better defensively without the league’s leading shot blocker in the lineup. With Whiteside on the court the Heat are surrendering 102.5 points per 100 possessions. When he sits, that number drops to 92.3. Coach Erik Spoelstra agrees with the numbers and has sat his big man out of six entire fourth quarters this season. But work in practice has paid off. Whiteside helped on the perimeter to deter shots and was still able to retreat back into the paint. Spoelstra felt comfortable enough to leave Whiteside on the court for nearly the entire fourth quarter Sunday and the Heat got enough stops to erase a deficit and pick up a much-needed win. If he continues with his defensive improvement, Whiteside could become even more dominant by playing crunch-time minutes.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Pelicans are in the midst of a brutal part of their schedule after finishing up a five-game road trip and going back on the road after a single home game on Wednesday. The road hasn’t been kind to the Pels either, with just three victories in 16 games outside the Big Easy. Things got bad after a loss in Phoenix last week when Gentry called out his team for a lack of effort. They responded the next game by beating Denver to finish their trip with two wins in the last three games. There really is no excuse now for the Pelicans, with guards Tyreke Evans, Norris Cole and Jrue Holiday all back from injuries. But even with them in the lineup victories have been hard to come by. Miami is enjoying a nice run of home games at the opening of the season and need to store away some wins. The Heat are accustomed to playing on Christmas, posting six straight victories and an impressive 9-2 record.
Miami 108, New Orleans 97
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