Heat vs. Knicks prediction, odds, line, start time: Advanced computer model releases NBA picks for Sunday, April 30, Game 1 Eastern Conference semifinal matchup

After pulling off first-round upsets, the Miami Heat and New York Knicks meet in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday. The Heat (44-38), who survived the play-in tournament and entered the postseason as the eighth seed, outmuscled and stunned the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the first round. The Knicks (47-35), who finished third in the Atlantic Division to earn the fifth seed, dominated the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round to advance in five games. The Heat were 17-24 on the road this season, while the Knicks were 23-18 at home.

The game from Madison Square Garden in New York will tip off at 1 p.m. ET. New York is a 5-point favorite at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is 209 according to the latest Heat vs. Knicks odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Before making any Heat vs. Knicks picks, you NEED to check out the NBA predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters the third week of the 2023 NBA playoffs a stunning 71-38 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,800. Anyone following it has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows New York point guard Jalen Brunson is off to a fast start to the playoffs. In the five-game series against Cleveland, Brunson averaged 24 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He has a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is coming off a 23-point, four-rebound and four-assist effort in the Game 5 close-out, and has scored 20 or more points in all five postseason games. In three regular-season games against Miami, he averaged 20.7 points, 5.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and one steal in 34 minutes of action.

The model also knows Miami small forward Jimmy Butler has played at an elite level this postseason and nearly singlehandedly took down the top-seeded Bucks. Butler is averaging 37.6 points, six rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals in five postseason games. Butler poured in 56 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Game 4, and followed that up with a 42-point, eight-rebound and four-assist effort in Game 5. 

Now, it has set its sights on Heat vs. Knicks. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any NBA picks.

So who wins Heat vs. Knicks in the NBA Playoffs 2023? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of the time? Join SportsLine now to find out, all from the model that's 71-38 on top-rated NBA picks against the spread!