by Rod Pearson
Friday, Dec 16, 2022
Game Time: 5:00 pm ET, Saturday, December 17, 2022
Venue: Arena CDMX, Mexico City, Mexico
Where to Watch: NBA TV
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Heat -7, Spurs +7; Over/Under: 221.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Heat -7, Spurs +7; Over/Under: 221.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Heat -7, Spurs +7; Over/Under: 221.5 points
Season Record
Miami Heat: 15-15 (1st place, Southeast Division)
San Antonio Spurs: 9-19 (4th place, Southwest Division)
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Recent Form
Miami Heat: 6-4 last 10
San Antonio Spurs: 3-7 last 10
Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs Preview and Analysis
The Heat are coming into this game with a 15-15 record overall and they are playing this game on a neutral site. They are entering this game on a 3 game winning streak with wins coming against the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Houston Rockets in their last game. Tyler Herro led the team in points in that game with 41 while Jimmy Butler was next on the team with 20 points. Jimmy Butler led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Jimmy Butler led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 44.3% from the field, 34% from 3-point range, and 73.9% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 108 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 109.2 PPG against them. The Heat have an ATS record of 9-19-2 this season and their O/U record is 16-14.
The Spurs are coming into this game with a 9-19 record overall and they are playing this game on a neutral site. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Portland Trail Blazers in their last game. Keldon Johnson led the team in points in that game with 25 while Doug McDermott was next on the team with 14 points. Tre Jones led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Gorgui Dieng led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 46.4% from the field, 37.9% from 3-point range, and 57.9% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 110.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 120.4 PPG against them. The Spurs have an ATS record of 12-16 this season and their O/U record is 13-14-1.
Heat vs Spurs Prediction
The current betting odds have the Spurs listed as a 7 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Spurs are coming off a bad loss at home in their last game but they haven't been playing badly in their last few games. The Heat are off to a terrible start this season but they have also started to get hot in their last few games despite being a terrible road team for most of the season. This game is on a neutral site in Mexico but the Spurs actually have a bit of an advantage here. The Spurs have played their last 2 games at home so they have not had to do much travel lately and they will have a short way to go for this game. The Heat have played their last 3 games on the road with their road trip ending after this game, but their road trip also started in Indiana so they have had to travel a lot more in the last week and the last few days. The Heat have already been poor in road games but have had to travel a lot too and the Spurs haven't been playing that bad in their games lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Spurs to cover the spread in this game.
Heat Spurs Prediction: Our NBA Pick for Saturday, December 17, 2022 (5:00 pm ET start time) is Heat 111 Spurs 107.
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NBA Betting Trends
Miami Heat: 9-20 ATS in all games. 3-10 ATS in non-conference games. 15-8 OVER revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a home favorite.
San Antonio Spurs: 112-76 ATS against Southeast division opponents. 20-13 ATS after a blowout loss by 15 points or more. 43-24 OVER in non-conference games.
Key Injuries
Miami Heat: B. Adebayo (C) Ques Sat - Ankle. D. Dedmon (C) Ques Sat - Foot. G. Vincent (SG) Late Dec - Knee. O. Yurtseven (C) Mid Feb - Ankle.
San Antonio Spurs: Z. Collins (PF) Ques Sat - Ankle. R. Langford (SG) Ques Sat - Ankle. B. Wesley (SG) Prob Sat - Knee. J. Poeltl (C) Late Dec - Knee.
Notable Quotes
“The last couple of games, that’s been really the scheme against him. That’s been open. But regardless, he’s too good of a shooter for us to not take 3s off the catch. He has to continue to be assertive in those opportunities. He’s just a brilliant shooter. He can do it off the dribble and off the catch.” - Erik Spoelstra after his team’s win against the Rockets in their game on Thursday.
“He’s amazing. I was very happy he was on the Olympic team. Not happy tonight.” - Gregg Popovich on Damian Lillard after his team’s loss against the Trail Blazers in their game on Wednesday.
Starting Lineups
Miami Heat
PG Kyle Lowry
SG Tyler Herro
SF Caleb Martin
PF Jimmy Butler
C Bam Adebayo
San Antonio Spurs
PG Tre Jones
SG Romeo Langford
SF Keldon Johnson
PF Keita Bates-Diop
C Zach Collins
Statistical Leaders
Miami Heat
PPG: J. Butler (21.6)
APG: J. Butler (6)
Reb/G: B. Adebayo (9.7)
San Antonio Spurs
PPG: K. Johnson (21)
APG: T. Jones (6.6)
Reb/G: J. Poeltl (9.9)
Coaches:
Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra (15th season)
San Antonio Spurs: Gregg Popovich (27th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
