Miami Heat vs New York Knicks betting tips and predictions for Friday’s NBA Playoffs game on ESPN. Miami has another opportunity to wrap up their series against the Knicks as they host Game 6 holding a 3-2 lead. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Miami Heat
After a hot start and a 10-point lead in the first quarter, the Heat just couldn’t contain the Knicks onslaught in Game 5 and fell 112-103 in the end. They won’t dwell too much on that loss as they have another chance to finish the series, this time in front of their home fans. They’ve covered the spread in 5 straight games at Kaseya Center and are a convincing 9-2 SU in their last 11 home games against the Knicks.
Despite playing on a bummed ankle, Jimmy Butler logged 43 minutes on Wednesday, but I’m not worried about his readiness at all in this game. Butler lives for these moments and I’m expecting him to show up in a big way. A win tonight would give Miami their 3rd Eastern Conference Finals berth in the last 4 seasons, making them the most consistent team in the league during that stretch.
New York Knicks
The Knicks had 2 players play all 48 minutes on Wednesday as both Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes stepped up to the challenge. Brunson led all scorers with 38 points in what was probably his best performance as a Knick this postseason. Julius Randle also showed up, which is encouraging as he scored 24 points. His commitment level will have a massive impact in the outcome of Game 6 tonight.
New York didn’t get much from either of the 2 games in Miami so far in this series, and with just 7 wins in the last 20 games vs the Heat their confidence level won’t be all that high heading into this game. Regardless of that though, they’ve shown their character avoiding elimination on Wednesday and a similar approach to tonight’s game should be on the cards here.
I’m not expecting a pretty game, that’s just how it goes when one team is on the verge of being eliminated. Miami thrives under these circumstances, so I expect them to show they’re the better team here. I’ll take the Heat to cover.
Miami Heat vs New York Knicks Predictions & Odds
The projected total has stayed mostly consistent throughout this series so far and for Game 6 it’s standing at 208.5 points. The two teams combined for 215 points in Game 5, both of them shot the ball well from three knocking down 13 threes each. New York was the more aggressive team and it resulted in 40 free throw attempts, compared to just 19 for the Heat. Playing in front of the home fans, I think the whistle will now be slightly in Miami’s favor, although not by a lot.
The Heat have held the Knicks to just 86 and 101 points in the 2 games in South Beach in this series, I think it will take a defensive effort on that level to put this team away. If anyone can do it it’s the Heat. They rank 2nd in home games this postseason in defensive rating, allowing just 102.3 points per 100 possessions. Meanwhile, the Knicks rank just 13th in offensive rating in road games in these Playoffs, so the writing is on the wall here. I’ll take the under.
