Miami Heat vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction: Expect a high-scoring game

In another NBA preseason game, New Orleans will take on Miami on the road. The Pelicans have failed to defeat the Heat in the last two seasons. Can the visitors break their losing streak?

The Heat are still considered one of the favorites in the East, but there have been several important changes this offseason that could turn things upside down. Chief among them is the departure of P.J. Tucker, who played an important role in Miami's defense. Markieff Morris also left the Heat and management decided not to sign any new role players. The club drafted Nikola Jovic, who has already proven himself in the preseason. Miami focused mainly on keeping the core of the team, extending the contracts of Victor Oladipo and Tyler Herro. There's talk that Bam Adebayo's role on offense might increase, at the very least the number of shots he takes should go up. As for the staff situation right now, Adebayo might not play against the Pelicans, Caleb Martin and Omer Yurtseven are also questionable.

Miami has been stronger in 3 of 4 preseason games. After beating Memphis and Brooklyn, Erik Spoelstra's team defeated Houston 118-110 at home. Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo did not play against the Rockets, but the trio of "long-haulers" Struce-Vincent-Robinson proved to be useful. The Heat's snipers made a combined 12 three-pointers, and they were largely responsible for 39.2 percent of the team's long-range attempts. Miami defended more tenaciously and fouled less frequently, which also made a big difference.

Zion Williamson missed all of last season due to injury, and the Pelicans have high hopes for the return of their young star. New Orleans' starting five looks solid as C.J. McCollum has emerged strongly in his new club, Brandon Ingram is consistently playing at a stellar level and Jonas Valanciunas continues to progress. Herb Jones has also proven himself in his first year, but there are questions about the rest of the bench. Devonte' Graham was almost out of the rotation at times last season, Larry Nance Jr. missed a lot of minutes due to injuries and rookie Dyson Daniels is not yet ready to play a serious role for a playoff contender. Nance and Daniels may not play against the Heat, Jackson Hayes will definitely not be on the floor and McCollum and Ingram's participation is questionable.

The Pelicans, like the Heat, are coming off 3 wins this preseason. The only really serious opponent for New Orleans was Chicago (129-125), then the team dealt with modest Detroit (107-91) and San Antonio (111-97). Ingram, McCollum and Williamson were absent from the game with the Spurs, but the reserves came to play. Trey Murphy made 7 3-pointers, scored 27 points and made a solid run for the starting rotation. The Pelicans combined well but lost the ball a lot and fouled more often.

• Miami won 6 of 10 home matches;
• New Orleans won 6 of the last 10 away matches;
• Miami scored 110+ points in 3 of the last 4 games.

The Pelicans have not played outstanding defense and allowed over 120 points against Chicago. It will not be easy for the visitors to hold Miami, as the Heat have a lot of good shooters. In addition, Butler, Herro and Lowry should be on the floor, while only Adebayo did not participate in the practice yesterday. New Orleans will also have a slight improvement over last year's game with at least Zion making an appearance. We suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• TO (216.5) for 1.68;
• H2 (+4.5) for 1.81;
• W2 (incl. OT) for 2.40.

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