Phoenix Suns (12-9) vs. Miami Heat (10-10)
December 7, 2024 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Miami Heat -6.5; Over/Under: +220.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Phoenix Suns invade the Kaseya Center to battle the Miami Heat on Saturday night. Here’s a Miami Heat vs Phoenix Suns Prediction. This article will include a Miami Heat vs Phoenix Suns Pick.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are starting to turn things around as they’ve won three of their past five games but they will be hoping to bounce back after getting embarrassed by the slumping Pelicans in a 126-124 road defeat on Thursday. Devin Booker led the team with 28 points, Bradley Beal added 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting while Royce O’Neale chipped in with 19 points on six of nine shooting.
As a team, the Suns shot 50 percent from the field and 17 of 45 from the 3-point line as they kept the Pelicans in check in the first half to take an early 13-point lead, only to see their hard work go to waste in the third quarter where they allowed 45 points. The Suns still had their chances late in the contest, but with the scores tied in the fourth quarter, it was the Pelicans who went on a pivotal 8-0 run to start to pull away.
Miami Heat
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat have been in decent form as they’ve won five of their past eight games overall and they will be looking to maintain that momentum after making light work of the Lakers in a 134-93 win on Wednesday. Tyler Herro led the team with 31 points on 11 of 19 shooting, Jimmy Butler added 17 points with nine rebounds and five assists while Bam Adebayo tallied 14 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
As a team, the Heat shot a healthy 57 percent from the field and 24 of 47 from the 3-point line as they caught fire early and poured in 69 points in the first half to take an early double-digit lead before they dominated the third quarter by 36-20 to put the game to bed early. The Heat will take on the Cavs after this game.
Why the Miami Heat will win
- The Suns have lost each of their last eight games as road underdogs on the first leg of a back-to-back.
- The Heat have won seven of their last eight home games against the Suns following a win.
- The Suns have failed to cover the spread in each of their last six games as underdogs against opponents who are on the first leg of a back-to-back.
- The home team has covered the spread in eight of the Heat’s last nine games.
Total Points Facts
- Seven of the Heat’s last eight home games against Pacific Division opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of the Suns’ last four road games on the first leg of a back-to-back have gone OVER the total points line.
Miami Heat Player Facts
- Tyler Herro ranks 3rd amongst qualified players for three-pointers made Per Game (4.3) this season.
- Bam Adebayo ranks 5th in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for steals per game (1.7) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Heat rank 30th in the league for blocks per game this season (3.6).
- The Heat rank 1st in the league for opponent free throws made per game this season (14.2).
- The Suns rank 2nd in the league for Q4 win percentage this season (66.7%).
- The Suns rank 29th for points in the paint (872) this season.
Miami Heat vs Phoenix Suns Prediction
The Suns are still missing Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic, while the Heat are keeping an eye on Pelle Larsson who is questionable. The Suns still have plenty of firepower even with Durant out of the lineup, but we saw on Thursday that it still wasn’t enough to get past the Pelicans who were losing to every team. The Heat have yet to fully hit their stride this season, but they looked great in their dominant win over the Lakers in their last outing and I think they follow that up with another win over this shorthanded Suns squad.
