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Clippers vs. Heat Prediction and Odds (Mighty Miami Won't Let L.A. Come Back)

By Ben Heisler

Center Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heart are 7-point home favorites vs. the L.A. Clippers this evening.
Center Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heart are 7-point home favorites vs. the L.A. Clippers this evening. / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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The Miami Heat have catapulted to the top of the Eastern Conference and look to win their fourth consecutive home game Friday evening.

The L.A. Clippers come to town winners of two straight; fresh off a road win against the Orlando Magic, but also a 35-point comeback on the road vs. the Washington Wizards.

L.A. is in the midst of an 8-game road trip, playing game number six this evening. Can they pull off the upset vs. a hot Heat squad?

Let's break down the latest odds over at WynnBET Sportsbook:

Clippers vs. Heat Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

  • Clippers +7 (-110)
  • Heat -7 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • Clippers +230
  • Heat -290

Total:

  • 210 (OVER -110 | UNDER -110)

Clippers vs. Heat Prediction and Pick

My initial lean was towards the OVER, as Miami leads the entire league with a 29-19 OVER record this season; hitting at over 60%.

However, the more I look closer into this matchup, I prefer the Heat to cover.

The Clippers have to be gassed. They're 3/4 through the way of a grueling 8-game road trip, and while the matchup vs. Orlando was a nice opportunity to freshen up following their monster comeback earlier in the week vs. Washington, Miami is an incredibly difficult opponent, especially at home.

This season at FTX Arena, Miami is 18-5 straight up, 14-8 against the spread (ATS), and are outscoring their opponents by a margin of 7.1 points at home.

Ultimately, besides the trends favoring the Heat, the Clippers are just not a good matchup vs. a healthy MIami team with no Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Marcus Morris -- who's out for personal reasons this evening. The Heat have a ton of length in their front court and should have a massive size mismatch against L.A. inside and already own the No. 3 effective field goal percentage in the NBA.

The Clippers' effort has been impressive despite their injuries, but if the Heat come out ready to go, this one should be over before it starts.

LEAN: Heat -7 (-110)

Follow all of Ben Heisler's betting picks in real-time HERE!

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