Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/15/2022

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Thursday, December 15, 2022

Venue:  Toyota Center, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  BSSUN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Heat -5, Rockets +5; Over/Under:  223.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Heat -5, Rockets +5; Over/Under:  223.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Heat -5, Rockets +5; Over/Under:  223.5 points

 

Miami Heat:  13-15 (2nd place, Southeast Division)

Houston Rockets:  9-18 (5th place, Southwest Division)

 

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Miami Heat:  6-4 last 10

Houston Rockets:  6-4 last 10

 

The Heat are coming into this game with a 13-15 record overall and they are 4-9 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They still have a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night that needs to be played first since this is the 2nd leg of a back-to-back for them on Thursday. They are entering this game off of a win against the Indiana Pacers in their last game. Bam Adebayo led the team in points in that game with 22 while Jimmy Butler was next on the team with 20 points. Tyler Herro led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Bam Adebayo led the team in rebounds with 17. They were 38.6% from the field, 26.5% from 3-point range, and 77.8% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 107.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 109.3 PPG against them. The Heat have an ATS record of 9-18-1 this season and their O/U record is 15-13.

 

 

 

The Rockets are coming into this game with a 9-18 record overall and they are 6-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns in their last game. Jalen Green led the team in points in that game with 26 while Kevin Porter Jr. was next on the team with 18 points. Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. each led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Alperen Şengün led the team in rebounds with 16. They were 42% from the field, 34.3% from 3-point range, and 91.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 110.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 115.5 PPG against them. The Rockets have an ATS record of 14-12-1 this season and their O/U record is 13-14.

The current betting odds have the Rockets listed as a 5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rockets haven't been very good this season but they have been playing a lot better in their games lately as they have been getting hot over the last week. They have been playing well at home lately and have been extra motivated in their games playing for their coach as his father just passed away recently. The Heat have been struggling in their games this season and they have been a terrible road team too. They have been very inconsistent from game to game and they are also really banged up for this game with a laundry list of injuries to their bench depth. The Heat have struggled all season and have been bad on the road while the Rockets have played much better in their home games and have been getting hot now. The Rockets are just the hotter team and they have the potential to pull off an upset here with how well they have been playing lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rockets to cover the spread in this game.

 

Heat Rockets Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Thursday, December 15, 2022 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Rockets 114 Heat 107.

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Miami Heat: 24-16 ATS as a road favorite of 6 points or less. 9-4 UNDER in road games. 20-14 UNDER in a road game where the total is 220 to 229.5. 

Houston Rockets: 31-54 ATS in home games. 2-8 ATS off a home win by 10 points or more. 16-8 UNDER off a home win. 

 

 

Miami Heat:  M. Strus (PG) Prob Wed - Shoulder. D. Robinson (SF) Prob Wed - Ankle. D. Dedmon (C) Ques Wed - Foot. G. Vincent (SG) Out Wed - Knee. T. Herro (SG) Prob Wed - Ankle. V. Oladipo (SG) Prob Wed - Knee. J. Butler (PF) Out Wed - Rest. O. Yurtseven (C) Mid Feb - Ankle.

Houston Rockets:  J. Tate (SF) Late Dec - Ankle.

 

 

 

“We knew coming in it was going to be by any means necessary. If you don't lock in and play defense, they can take a 10-, 12-point lead on you quickly. This is not an easy team to play.” - Erik Spoelstra after his team’s win against the Pacers in their game on Monday.

 

 

“It was definitely great to be back. I love these guys. I love this team. I kind of didn’t want the game to end because now it’s like real life starts up again.” - Stephen Silas after his team’s win against the Suns in their game on Tuesday.

 

 

 

PG Kyle Lowry

SG Tyler Herro

SF Caleb Martin

PF Duncan Robinson 

C Bam Adebayo

 

PG Kevin Porter Jr.

SG Jalen Green

SF Eric Gordon

PF Jabari Smith Jr. 

C Alperen Sengun

 

 

PPG: J. Butler (21.7)

APG: J. Butler (5.9)

Reb/G: B. Adebayo (9.5)

 

PPG: J. Green (21.8)

APG: K. Porter Jr. (5.7)

Reb/G: A. Sengun (9)

 

Coaches:

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra (15th season)

Houston Rockets: Monty Williams (4th season)