Pacers, Heat Headed for a Track Meet

The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat are going to know each other very well by the time the Sportsbook round of the NBA playoffs wraps up. The Pacers and Heat meet for the second time in five days Friday afternoon in Orlando – and with their first-round postseason matchup already set, fans and bettors shouldn’t expect to see many notable players hitting the court in this one.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Pacers opened as a 2-point favorite, but that line has shifted slightly to -1 to -1.5 in most spots. The Sportsbook total of 216 moved to 218 shortly after posting.

Indiana News & Notes

The Pacers come into this one on a high after upending the Houston Rockets 108-104 on Wednesday, partially erasing the sting of a 22-point setback to the Heat on Monday. And with the playoffs looming and only the irrelevant 4 or 5 seeding to be determined vs Miami, look for the Pacers to give Myles Turner, Victor Oladipo and other key starters a full or partial breather Friday.

With Indiana’s starting lineup likely to consist of reserves and this game expected to be an uptempo affair, look for Justin Holiday to build upon an impressive showing against the Rockets last time out. Holiday, who entered the game shooting 23 percent from the field in the bubble, went 6-for-10 for 18 points and is a terrific player prop option as a guy who should see plenty of minutes.

Miami News & Notes

Clearly, finishing fourth in the East as opposed to fifth isn’t enough to prompt the Heat to go full bore in Friday’s regular-season finale. Jimmy Butler (foot), Bam Adebayo (knee) and Goran Dragic (ankle) are all on the shelf for this one, and a handful of other key players will likely see their minutes reduced for a Miami team that has dropped three of its last four overall.

So who should you be targeting from a player prop perspective? If you can find any props involving Tyler Herro, you should pounce on them. Herro will be moved into the starting lineup and should see plenty of shot opportunities in this fast-paced affair. Herro averaged 15.3 points in just over 24 minutes per game in three regular-season meetings with Indiana.

Betting Pick: OVER 218

If you’re looking for defense, you should look elsewhere. These teams will run each other ragged as bench players look for stat-padding opportunities without the burden of stopping the other guys. Enjoy!