Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Dec. 21, 2021

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Nationally televised NBA action will resume on Tuesday night with a compelling Eastern Conference matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat. Coverage begins from FTX Arena at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Score Prediction

Pacers 112, Heat 102

Best Bets

Pacers -1 (-110) at WynnBet

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Predictions

After finishing ninth in the East with a record of 34-48 last year, Indiana stumbled out to an incredibly slow start to this season, as the Pacers opened with losses in six of their first seven games – with half of those losses coming by eight points or more.

The Pacers have played decent since starting 1-7 SU and 2-5 ATS though, considering Indiana enters Tuesday’s contest riding a pedestrian 12-11 SU run – and more recently, 4-2 SU and ATS across the last six games.

On the other hand, Miami jumped out to an excellent start to the new season, as the Heat kicked things off with wins in seven of their first nine games – with five of those victories coming by 13+ PTS.

Injuries have slowly caught up with the Heat throughout December though, considering Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and P.J. Tucker highlight Miami’s key inactives heading into Tuesday night – which has resulted in a lackluster 5-6 SU skid across their latest stretch.

I’ll take Indiana here, as the Heat have lost two of their last four games to the Cavaliers and Pistons, while averaging just 100 PPG across that span – which shouldn’t be an issue for a Pacers’ squad that’s 4-2 SU and averaging 110.8 PPG across the last six games.

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Betting Odds

• Pacers -120
• Heat +100
• Pacers -1 (-110)
• Heat +1 (-110)
• OU 207.5 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Betting Resources

• Matchup: Central vs. Southeast
• Date: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
• Venue: FTX Arena
• Location: Miami, Florida
• TV-Time: TNT - 7:30 p.m. ET

• Injury Report

Indiana Pacers Betting Analysis

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

• SU: 13-18
• ATS: 15-15-1
• O/U: 14-17

After finishing in the middle of the eastern pack last year, Indiana posted a somewhat worrisome start to this season, as the Pacers opened with a head-scratching 1-6 SU run – which included losses to the Hornets, Wizards, and Raptors.

The Pacers quickly returned to pedestrian level following their unusually slow start though, considering Indiana is 12-11 SU and 14-9 ATS since the start of November – yet still rank 13th in the conference with a record of 13-18 SU.

Miami Heat Betting Analysis

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

• SU: 18-13
• ATS: 18-13
• O/U: 17-14

After finishing sixth in the East with a record of 40-32 last year, Miami made some dramatic offseason changes to better suit needs at the offensive end, as the Heat shipped Goran Dragic Precious Achiuwa to Toronto in exchange for All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry through a blockbuster deal.

At first, the acquisition worked out flawlessly for Miami, as the Heat opened with an impressive 11-5 SU and 12-4 ATS run – with their only ATS losses coming in tough matchups against the Pacers, Lakers, Nuggets, and Celtics.

(AP) The Heat are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 matchups against Indiana.

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Head-to-Head

The Pacers won two-of-three regular-season matchups against Miami last year, with the first two matchups going over the total set for Tuesday’s affair at an average of 229.5 PPG – while the third stayed under with a score of 92-87.

So far this season, the Pacers and Heat have split a quick two-game set, with the first of those matchups staying under the total with a score of 102-91 – while the most recent meeting went over with a score of 113-104.

Key Players to Watch

• IND: Malcolm Brogdon - PG (19.7 PPG, 5.5 REB, 6.2 AST)
• IND: Domantas Sabonis - PF (18.3 PPG, 11.8 REB, 4.2 AST)
• MIA: Kyle Lowry - PG (13.9 PPG, 4.4 REB, 8.2 AST)
• MIA: Duncan Robinson - SG (11.1 PPG, 3.5 REB, 1.5 AST)

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Betting Conclusion

After losing to Detroit by double-digits on Sunday night (L, 100-90), the Heat enter Tuesday’s contest as narrow home favorites over the visiting Pacers – marking the third straight home game Miami has been an underdog in.

I’ll take Indiana here, as the Pacers have played decent basketball as of late, considering they enter Tuesday following riding a solid 4-2 SU and ATS run, with their only losses coming in tough matchups against the Bucks and Warriors – while Miami is just way too banged-up to trust in this particular spot.

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Betting Trends

• The total has gone OVER in eight of the last 12 Pacers' games.
• The Heat are 4-2 ATS in their last four games.
• The Pacers are 4-8 ATS in their last 12 matchups against Miami.
• The total has gone UNDER in five of the last seven Heat' games.

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