New Orleans Pelicans vs Miami Heat Prediction, 1/4/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Miami Heat

Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026

Location: Kaseya Center in Miami, FL

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

The Miami Heat (18-15) will compete against the New Orleans Pelicans (8-27) at Kaseya Center on Sunday.

The Pelicans faced off with the Bulls and took a loss by a final of 134-118 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Pelicans ended up with 24 and the Bulls totaled 18 personal fouls. They converted 15 of their 43 tries from 3-point land. Chicago finished the game at 73.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 25 of 34 tries. Moreover, Chicago totaled 49 rebounds (8 offensive, 41 defensive) and added 9 rejections. Chicago distributed 33 dimes and had 5 steals in this matchup. When talking about the defense, New Orleans allowed their opponent to shoot 51.1% from the field on 47 of 92 shooting. They also recorded 25 dimes in the game in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In terms of rebounding, they compiled a total of 46 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Pelicans buried 22 of their 27 shots for a percentage of 81.5%. New Orleans finished the contest having earned a 42.9% FG percentage (42 of 98) and converted 12 of 38 three-point shots.

Zion Williamson is a guy who was a factor for the game. Williamson finished the contest at 63.2% from the floor and distributed 3 assists. He played for 29 mins played and also snagged 7 rebounds. He left the arena with 31 points on 12 out of 19 shooting.

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New Orleans steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss mark of 8-27 for the year. They lose possession via turnover 14.3 times per game and as a squad are committing 20.5 fouls per game. As a unit, New Orleans is pulling down 43.4 boards per game and has accounted for 862 assists for the campaign, which is 17th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Pelicans are connecting on 34.1% from downtown (375 of 1,101) and 79.0% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 115.6 points per contest (20th in the NBA) while connecting on 46.1% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Pelicans are forcing 15.1 turnovers per game while drawing 21.2 fouls. They are currently ranked 30th in basketball in allowing assists with 1,025 conceded this season. The Pelicans defense is allowing a FG percentage of 48.8% (1,564 of 3,202) and they surrender 45.9 rebounds per game as a team. They relinquish 35.7% on shots from downtown and they are 28th in the NBA in opponents PPG (123.1).

The last time they took the court, the Heat walked away with a victory by a final of 147-123 when they played the Nuggets. In relation to rebounding, Miami permitted Denver to collect 36 overall (6 on the offensive glass). They finished 35.5% from downtown by shooting 11 of 31 and ended up shooting 18 out of 22 at the free throw line (81.8%). The Heat allowed the Nuggets to bury 47 of 89 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.8% for the matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Heat shot 53 for 99 from the field which had them at 53.5%. With respect to shots from distance, Miami converted 22 of their 46 attempts (47.8%). They were able to convert 19 of the free throws for a percentage of 82.6%. The Nuggets had 21 personal fouls in this game which got the Heat to the charity stripe for 23 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 8 steals for the matchup. The Heat collected 31 defensive boards and 15 offensive boards for a total of 46 in the game.

Norman Powell was important for the Heat for the matchup. He knocked down 9 of 16 in the matchup giving him a rate of 56.3%, and had 1 rebound. Powell recorded 25 points in his 28 minutes on the court and accumulated 4 dimes for the game.

Miami has a record of 18-15 this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Heat are connecting on 47.4% from the floor, which has them ranked 11th in the NBA. Miami has totaled 3,992 points on the season (121.0 per game) and they pull in 45.8 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 28.8 times per game (7th in the league) and they turn the ball over 13.9 times per contest. The Heat are committing 19.0 personal fouls every game and they hit 79.1% from the free throw line.

The Heat on defense are ranked 19th in basketball in points allowed per contest with 117.5. They are forcing 15.9 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 45.6% from the field (4th in the NBA). The Miami defense surrenders 34.4% on shots from beyond the arc (463 of 1,347) and their opponents are knocking down 80.2% of their foul shots. They surrender 27.2 dimes and 47.4 rebounds per game, which ranks them 19th and 27th in the league.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Miami and under the total points

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