Miami Heat (20-15) vs Houston Rockets (18-16)
2024-01-08 19:30:00 EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Miami Heat -3.5 -- Over/Under: 216.5
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The Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat duke it out at the Kaseya Center on Monday night. Here’s a Rockets vs Heat Prediction.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have been heating up as they’ve won three of their past four games and they will be eager to keep it going after outlasting the Bucks in a 112-108 win on Saturday. Alperen Sengun led the team with 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, Jalen Green and Jeff Green scored 16 points each while Fred VanVleet chipped in with 14 points and seven assists. As a team, the Rockets shot just 43 percent from the field and 13 of 34 from the 3-point line but they played excellent defense out of the gates and they were never really threatened after taking a 21-point lead in a dominant first half.
Houston Rockets Team Facts
- The Rockets have lost each of their last 13 road games against Eastern Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- The Rockets have failed to cover the spread in each of their last eight games as road underdogs against Southeast Division opponents following a win.
- Each of the Rockets’ last four road games against Southeast Division opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Miami Heat
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat have cooled off a bit lately as they’ve lost three of their past four games and they will be hoping to bounce back here after getting thrashed by the Suns in a 113-97 road loss on Friday. Bam Adebayo led the team with 28 points and 10 rebounds, Kevin Love added 20 points on six of nine shooting off the bench while Jaime Jacquez Jr chipped in with just 10 points. As a team, the Heat shot just 41 percent from the field and 10 of 37 from the 3-point line which was good enough to just stay within striking distance until they went ice-cold in the third quarter to fall behind by as many as 21 points. Tyler Herro had a rough game as he finished with just nine points on four of 17 shooting from the field.
Miami Heat Team Facts
- The Heat have won 16 of their last 17 games against Southwest Division opponents following a loss.
- The Heat have failed to cover the spread in 13 of their last 14 home games against Western Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- Each of the Heat’s last five games have gone UNDER the total points line.
Rockets vs Heat Prediction
The Rockets are still a little shorthanded with Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason both ruled out, while the Heat are still missing Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin. The Rockets have started to turn things around lately and they will be full of confidence after dismantling the highly touted Bucks in their last outing, while the Heat have been in a rut and they just got scorched by the Suns in a tough loss on Friday. The Heat are more than capable of getting the win despite being shorthanded, but the Rockets are the form team in this matchup and I think the Rockets get the minor upset on the road in this spot.
