Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Clippers Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Nov. 11, 2021

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Nationally televised NBA coverage will conclude on Thursday night with a heavyweight non-conference bout between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers. Coverage begins at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV.

Score Prediction

Clippers 112, Heat 103

Best Bets

Clippers ML

Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Clippers Predictions

After getting swept by the Bucks in the opening round of last year’s playoffs, Miami kicked off the new season seeking immediate revenge against Giannis Antetokounmpo and company, as the Heat hosted Milwaukee in their first matchup of the year – and dominated the defending champs for the entire event (W, 137-95).

Miami successfully rode that momentum for a week or so, considering the Heat opened the month of November sitting at 6-1 while riding a five-game winning streak – which included an impressive trio of victories over the Nets, Grizzlies, and Mavericks.

Since their red-hot 6-1 start though, Miami has appeared rather pedestrian, highlighted by the Heat entering their back-to-back set at the Staples Center following losses in two of the last three games – while averaging just 97.3 PPG on 44% FG across that window.

On the other hand, the Clippers stumbled out to a surprisingly bumpy start to the new season, highlighted by Paul George and company yielding losses in four of their first five games – which included disappointing losses to Golden State, Cleveland, and Memphis.

Since their rocky 1-4 start though, the Clippers have played some excellent basketball, as Ty Lue’s squad enters Thursday’s affair riding a five-game winning streak – which consists of solid victories over the Thunder, Wolves (2), Hornets, and Blazers, with more than half of those wins coming by a double-digit margin.

I’ll lay the points with L. A. here, as the Clippers have now won and covered the spread as favorites in four straight games – and extending that to five shouldn’t be a terribly tall task while playing at home with a rest advantage against a banged-up Heat squad on Thursday night.

Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Odds

Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Resources

• Matchup: Southeast vs. Pacific
• Date: Thursday, November 11, 2021
• Venue: STAPLES Center
• Location: Los Angeles, California
• TV-Time: NBATV - 10:30 p.m. ET

• Weather Report
• Injury Report

Miami Heat Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU:
• ATS:
• O/U:

After yielding a disappointing result to last year’s playoffs, the Heat made some dramatic offseason changes to better suit their needs at the offensive end of the floor, as Miami shipped Goran Dragic Precious Achiuwa to Toronto in exchange for All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry through a blockbuster deal.

The Heat already stood as legitimate eastern contenders prior to the acquisition, considering Miami paved a brilliant path to the NBA Finals through the Orlando bubble – and then got eliminated in the first round of last year’s playoffs by Milwaukee, which doesn’t bode horribly in hindsight.

The Heat now stand as a far more imposing force with the additions of Lowry and PJ Tucker – but they also lack depth following the aftermath of the trade, so Miami’s recent struggles don’t come as a total surprise, considering Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Tucker, Lowry, and a few others are currently nursing minor injuries.

Los Angeles Clippers Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU:
• ATS:
• O/U:

Many bettors lost faith in L.A. immediately following Kawhi Leonard’s devastating knee injury during the postseason – but it turns out, the Clippers are still an excellent team without him, as they decisively handled business against Utah for the remainder of that series, and then went toe-to-toe with Phoenix for the length of a competitive six-game conference final set.

The Clippers looked like a shell of that squad to kick off their current campaign though, as L.A. posted an incredibly underwhelming 1-4 start to the new season – while averaging just 102.8 PPG on 41.9% FG across their first five contests.

The Clippers have played solid basketball since their disappointing start though, considering L.A. heads into Thursday’s contest riding a five-game winning streak – while averaging 113.2 PPG on 47.3% FG across their latest five-game window.

(AP)

Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Clippers Head-to-Head

The Clippers swept a two-game regular-season set against the Heat last year, with the first of those matchups taking place in Miami and staying under the total set for Thursday’s affair (109-105) – while the second took place in L. A. and went over (125-118).

Key Players to Watch

• MIA: TBD
• MIA: TBD
• LAC: TBD
• LAC: TBD

Injuries

• TBD

Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Conclusion

After extending their winning streak to five on Tuesday night, the Clippers head into Thursday’s contest as somewhat generous home favorites over the visiting Heat – marking just the fourth time Miami has been an underdog this year.

I’ll lay the points with L.A. here, as Miami’s injury report is far too cluttered to warrant backing on the second half of a back-to-back set – especially in a road matchup against an upper-tier squad like the Clippers.

Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Trends

• TBD

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