Among Friday’s nine games is the renewal of a great '90s rivalry when the Knicks host the Heat. The game tips at 7:00 p.m. ET and will air on Prime Video. The only negative about this matchup is that both teams will be missing at least one key player because of injuries
Below, we'll preview the game and break down three of the top Heat vs. Knicks NBA Picks on PrizePicks for Friday, including for Knicks F Mikal Bridges and Heat G Norman Powell.
Heat vs. Knicks Prediction, Friday NBA Picks
Heat G Tyler Herro (ankle) has yet to make his season debut and is likely out until at least December. The Heat have since lost C Bam Adebayo (toe), who will miss his fifth straight game. The Knicks will be forced to play without G Jalen Brunson, who suffered a Grade 1 right ankle sprain Wednesday versus the Magic.
Miami Heat
The Heat are 5-1 at home this season, but just 2-4 on the road. When they played the Knicks in Miami in October, the Heat pulled out an 8-point victory. The Knicks only scored 107 points, tied for the fewest point that the Heat have allowed in a game this season.
New York Knicks
Like the Heat, the Knicks have significant home and road splits. They are 0-3 on the road, but have a stellar 7-1 mark at Madison Square Garden. Last season, the Knicks compiled a 27-14 record at home.
Heat vs. Knicks Prediction, Friday NBA Picks
Here are three of the top Heat vs. Knicks DFS picks on PrizePicks for Friday. Player projections via the PrizePicks real money NBA game.
Knicks F Mikal Bridges vs. Heat Projection – 17.5 Points
- Bridges’ usage rate has fallen from 19.6% last season to 15.5% this year.
- While Bridges’ usage rate has declined, Brunson has increased his usage rate from 29.5% last season to 32.1% through 11 games.
- When Brunson missed a 15-game stretch last season, Bridges provided 20.5 points per game.
- The Heat have played at the fastest pace (106.7) in the league.
- The last time he faced the Heat, Bridges recorded 20 points despite Brunson being in the lineup.
Heat G Norman Powell vs. Knicks Projection – 22.5 Points
- Powell has scored at least 23 points in six of his nine games.
- The journeyman has poured in at least 22 points in all four games without Adebayo. In three of them, he finished with at least 25 points.
- At 32, Powell's usage rate is 28.1%, on pace to be the highest mark of his career.
- In his previous matchup with the Knicks, Powell scored 29 points while attempting 15 field goals and 12 free throws.
Heat G/F Jaime Jaquez Jr. vs. Knicks Projection – 6.5 Rebounds
- After logging just 21 minutes per game last season, Jaquez has played 30 minutes a night through 12 games.
- With his added playing time, he has averaged 7.2 rebounds. That has includes a trio of 8-board games in three of the last four outings without Adebayo.
- As good as Jaquez has been on the glass, this is not a good matchup for him to rack up rebounds. The Knicks have allowed the sixth-fewest rebounds per game (40.9) in the league.
- Despite playing 27 minutes versus the Knicks in October, the former first-round pick recorded a modest 5 rebounds.
The Knicks and Heat will both be shorthanded when they square off Friday. With Brunson on the sidelines, Bridges will likely be tasked with picking up some of the scoring slack. The Heat should continue to give plenty of shot attempts to Powell with Herro and Adebayo injured. Jaquez also should see plenty of minutes, but rebounds might still be hard for him to come by with the Knicks doing such a good job of controlling the glass.
With plenty of projections to consider for Heat vs. Knicks and the rest of Friday’s slate, now is the time to build your NBA Lineup on PrizePicks. Just pick More or Less for at least two NBA player stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks. Check out the Playbook for more NBA DFS picks and analysis all the way through the season.
