So far, the Miami Heat have come out and punched the New York Knicks square in the mouth in their second round series in the NBA Playoffs. Unlike their old matchups in the 1990s, where actual punches were thrown regularly, they have only done so in the metaphorical sense by taking a 3-1 series lead. But the Heat are now one game away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. In our NBA betting picks for Wednesday night, we look at Heat vs Knicks Game 5, in what could be the final game of this second round series.
Heat vs Knicks Game 5 Betting Pick
| ℹ️ The Pick: | Knicks -4 |
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This game will be played at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 PM ET on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
Why Bet the Knicks:
✅ This is it for the Knicks, as a loss knocks them out of the postseason in disappointing fashion. Expect them to come out and play like the desperate team they are to prolong their season by one more game.
✅ Rebounding has been a category that the home team has dominated in this series so far, with the home team winning the battle on the glass in all four games of the series. Look for that to continue with the Knicks being the beneficiaries in Game 5.
✅ Julius Randle was vocal about the Knicks’ lack of effort in Game 4. Look for that to improve in this do or die game.
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Miami Heat
The Miami Heat have come out in this postseason and played like they were the one-seed in the Eastern Conference. After taking out the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, the eighth seed in the East is now a win away from taking out the fifth seeded Knicks in five games as well. For that to happen, the Heat will need another Jimmy Butler masterclass.
So far in this series, Butler has averaged 26.7 points per game in three appearances, which is a step down from the massive numbers he put up in the first round against the Bucks. But the Heat have not needed Butler to score as much in this series, as a combination of the Knicks offensive woes and players like Max Strus stepping up behind Butler has allowed the Heat star to play within himself while still putting up big numbers.
New York Knicks
For the New York Knicks, this series with the Miami Heat has been an unmitigated disaster. Their shooting has been atrocious, injuries have plagued them along the way, and their typical effort on the glass has wavered of late. Now, the Knicks have to reel off three straight wins to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, something that looks highly unlikely with the way they have played in this series.
For the Knicks to extend this series to a sixth game on South Beach, Julius Randle needs to score more. He has averaged 18.3 points per game against the Heat in this series, which is not nearly enough from a star player of his caliber. Look for Randle to try and take over in this contest in an attempt to set the tone for the remainder of the series.
