posted March 31, 2008 at 16:54 in NBA Betting Trends

While the Miami Heat, (13-59 SU, 29-42-1 ATS, 35-35-2 O/U), have absolutely nothing to play for at this point of their totally lost season, the Indiana Pacers, (30-43 SU, 34-38-1 ATS, 39-30-4 O/U), have won five of their last seven games while making a valiant late season push for a postseason berth.

The Pacers come into tonight’s contest off a solid 123-115 home victory over the New Jersey Nets on Friday while the Heat are coming off arguably their most atrocious loss of the regular season, an 88-62 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

Danny Granger scored 26 points against the Nets while helping the Pacers move to within three games of the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Indiana has nine games remaining, including six against teams that are currently below .500.

"We must continue to play at this level and not let up," said Pacers forward Troy Murphy. "On the next two or three days, we need to relax, keep our game faces on and get ready for the rest of the season. We will take them game by game."

Miami has dropped eight of their last ten in the BetUS.com Sportsbook and made a pitiful 17 field goals against the Celtics - the fewest in the NBA's shot clock era.

"We tried to do a lot of stuff," said Miami assistant Ron Rothstein coached his fourth consecutive game while scouring the collegiate scene for talent. "There's just not a lot of stuff we can run with the new guys, and they just took out everything we tried to run. It's tough."

Despite their on-court failures, the Heat have covered the spread in six of ten while the Pacers have gone 5-4-1 against the spread over the same span.

Here’s a look at tonight’s key trends followed by my NBA Betting Picks.

The Heat are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games vs. a team with a losing S.U. record.

The Heat are 4-0 ATS in their last four games as an underdog.

The Pacers are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

The Pacers are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games vs. a team with a road winning percentage of less than .400.

The Under is 4-0 in Heat last four games playing on 0 days rest.

The Under is 5-0 in Pacers last five games as a home favorite of 11.0 or greater.

The Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Indiana.

The Heat are 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight meetings in Indiana.

Analysis: The Heat are bad and I mean really, really bad. Maybe it’s me, but I just can’t bring myself to write the words, ‘the Miami Heat will cover’. Take the Pacers to hand Miami another blowout loss.

NBA Free Picks: Indiana -16½ Points/Under 198 Total Points

07:05 PM EST NBA Betting Odds

Miami Heat +16½ -110

Indiana Pacers -16½ -110

Over 198 -110

Under 198 -110

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