Heat vs Pacers Prediction & Picks (Dec. 12): Will Miami continue to be ice cold on the road?

At the end of last month, it looked like the Miami Heat might be getting on the right track after a rough start.

Heading into tonight’s road tilt with the Indiana Pacers, that appears to have been a false dawn.

Since winning three straight games to move to 10-11, Miami has dropped four of six games, including Saturday’s 115-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, who are one of the worst teams in the NBA.

The Heat still have yet to spend any time at or over .500 this season, and they have one of the poorest road records in the league.

They can’t fix either of those things in one fell swoop, but a win tonight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse would put a little dent into both.

But will Miami get a much-needed road win, or will Indiana pick up its ninth home win of the season? Read on for our Heat vs Pacers prediction and picks, as well as our favorite player props for tonight’s matchup in Indianapolis.

Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Miami Heat (12-15, 3-9 away, 10th in the Eastern Conference) vs Indiana Pacers (14-13, 8-5 home, 7th in the Eastern Conference)
• Venue & Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)
• Date: Monday, December 12, 2022
• Game Time: 7:00 pm ET

Heat vs Pacers Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Monday, December 12, 2022, at 6:15 am ET. This article may also include odds from our other recommended legal sports betting sites.

Spread

• Miami Heat -2.5 (-110)
• Indiana Pacers +2.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 228 (-110)
• Under 228 (-110)

Moneyline

• Miami Heat -136
• Indiana Pacers +120

Will Hot Haliburton Hurt the Heat Again?

It’s still early enough in the season that Miami can get things turned around and still have a successful campaign. But how likely is that at this point?

Thursday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers was encouraging and a sign of what the Heat can be if they can string some good performances together.

But it was preceded by a home loss to the 7-22 Detroit Pistons, who have the worst record in the NBA and are 3-13 on the road this season. And it was followed by the loss to the 8-18 Spurs, who are tied with the Houston Rockets for the worst record in the Western Conference.

So, it’s certainly hard to have any faith in what they will do tonight against the Pacers. Indiana is certainly still growing and learning how to win, and they let a home win slip away against the severely shorthanded Brooklyn Nets in Saturday’s 136-133 loss.

Indiana was favored by a large margin with several Nets players out, including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But after leading 117-108 with 7:14 left in the fourth, they were outscored 28-16 the rest of the way.

Even though the game did not finish positively for the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton had another big game. The league’s leader in assists per game dished out nine dimes against the Nets, but his scoring was the biggest thing on show on Saturday. He scored a season-high 35 points, making 7 of 8 from three and 12 of 15 from the field overall, along with sinking all four of his free throws.

Tyrese Haliburton tonight:

35 PTS (Pacers career high)
7 3PM (career high)
9 AST pic.twitter.com/aRuwuc3lTa

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 11, 2022

Last Three Games for Tyrese Haliburton

• at Minnesota Timberwolves: 26 points (9-14 FG, 5-9 3PT, 3-3 FT) 15 assists, three steals
• vs Washington Wizards: 23 points (9-14 FG, 3-4 3PT, 2-2 FT), 11 assists
• vs Brooklyn Nets: 35 points (12-15 FG, 7-8 3PT, 4-4 FT), nine assists, three steals

Will he keep things going against the Heat? In Indiana’s 101-99 win over Miami on November 4, Haliburton had 22 points (9-16 FG, 3-8 3PT, 1-4 FT), nine rebounds, and nine assists.

Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers Prediction and Picks

Heat vs Pacers Prediction: Pacers to win

Heat vs Pacers Picks: Pacers to cover (Best Value: +2.5 @ -109 at BetUS) & Pacers ML (Best Value: +124 at BetOnline)

If the Heat come to play like they did against the Clippers last Thursday, then they certainly can win this game.

But since winning their road opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, Miami is just 2-9 on the road. One of those wins is against the Celtics, of all teams, so the ability is certainly there.

But I love the value with the Pacers as a home underdog tonight. They aren’t quite all the way there yet, but they play hard night in, night out, and since losing their first two home games this season, they are 8-3 at home.

Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers Player Props

Heat vs Pacers Player Prop Pick #1: Tyrese Haliburton over 19.5 points (Best Value: -106 at BetOnline & Bovada Sportsbook)

Pick #2: Tyrese Haliburton over 29.5 (Best Value: -109 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Pick #3: Buddy Hield over 3.5 made three-pointers (Best Value: -115 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Haliburton has hit on the over on both of those numbers in 11 of Indiana’s 13 home games this season, including the previous matchup with the Heat.

Hield, meanwhile, has hit at least four threes in each of his last five games and in seven of Indiana’s 13 home games this season. In last month’s home win over the Heat, he made five threes and had 25 points and nine rebounds.

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