Houston Rockets vs Miami Heat Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/08/2024

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Monday, January 8, 2024

Venue:  Kaseya Center, Miami, FL 

Where to Watch:  BSSUN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Rockets +5, Heat -5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Rockets +5, Heat -5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Rockets +5, Heat -5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

Houston Rockets:  18-16 (3rd place, Southwest Division)

Miami Heat:  20-15 (1st place, Southeast Division)

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Houston Rockets:  5-5 last 10

Miami Heat:  6-4 last 10

The Rockets are entering this game with an 18-16 record overall and they are 3-10 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Milwaukee Bucks in their last game. Alperen Şengün led the team in points in that game with 21 while Jalen Green and Jeff Green each were next on the team with 16 points. Fred VanVleet led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Jabari Smith Jr. led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 43.4% from the field, 38.2% from 3-point range, and 84.4% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 112.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 109.9 PPG against them. The Rockets have an ATS record of 20-12-2 this season and their O/U record is 14-19-1.

The Heat are entering this game with a 20-15 record overall and they are 9-6 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Phoenix Suns in their last game. Bam Adebayo led the team in points in that game with 28 while Kevin Love was next on the team with 20 points. Josh Richardson led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Bam Adebayo led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 41% from the field, 27% from 3-point range, and 86.4% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 112.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 111.6 PPG against them. The Heat have an ATS record of 16-19 this season and their O/U record is 16-19.

The current betting odds have the Heat listed as a 5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Heat have looked good in their games this season with their 20-15 record overall which has them climbing the standings in the East as they have been on a surge as of late. They are 9-6 in their home games this season and haven't looked lately with 3 losses in their last 4, but they will be looking to get themselves back on track on their home court here. Meanwhile, the Rockets are 18-16 overall this season and haven't looked great in their games lately. They were on a bit of a surge but they have been losing a lot of games now ever since they lost Dillon Brooks to injury. He is a key player in the lineup and this is going to be a tough game for them to get over their struggles in. The Rockets have also looked terrible in their road games all season with their 3-10 road record so they are only going to struggle more in this situation. This is a great game for the Heat to win and get back on track as they take advantage of a banged up Rockets team struggling on the road this season. The best way to place a bet here is on the Heat to cover the spread in this game. 

Rockets Heat Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Monday, January 8, 2024 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Heat 110 Rockets 98.

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Houston Rockets: 12-2 ATS off a home win. 16-4 ATS after a game where they covered the spread. 17-7 ATS after 3 or more consecutive unders. 24-14 UNDER off an upset win as an underdog. 16-8 UNDER after a win by 6 points or less. 11-6 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive wins.

Miami Heat: 3-8 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 5-10 ATS in home games. 5-9 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses. 13-6 UNDER after playing a road game. 8-2 UNDER in non-conference games. 

Houston Rockets:  T. Eason (SF) Ques Mon - Leg. D. Brooks (SG) Out indefinitely - Oblique. V. Oladipo (SG) Out indefinitely - Knee.

Miami Heat:  J. Butler (PF) Ques Mon - Foot. C. Martin (SF) Out indefinitely - Ankle. H. Highsmith (SF) Mid Jan - Concussion. D. Smith (SG) out for season - Knee.

“He’s a hard guard. We can live with one guy going off as long as we keep everybody else under wraps. Giannis is a tough one. You’ve got to pick your poison at times. We’ve shown this year that when we go after everybody else and let one guy loose, we have good results.” - Ime Udoka after his team’s win against the Bucks in their game on Saturday.

“We were making the right plays. A lot of those were wide-open 3s. It's the right play and I'm encouraged that we continued to do that despite the misses. But on the other side of the floor, we were never able to control the game defensively and get it in the mud.” - Erik Spoelstra after his team’s loss against the Suns in their game on Friday.

PG Fred VanVleet

SG Jalen Green

SF Jae'Sean Tate

PF Jabari Smith Jr.

C Alperen Sengun

PG Kyle Lowry

SG Tyler Herro

SF Jaime Jaquez Jr.

PF Duncan Robinson

C Bam Adebayo

PPG: A. Sengun (21.4)

APG: F. VanVleet (8.5)

Reb/G: A. Sengun (9)

PPG: T. Herro (22.4)

APG: T. Herro (4.5)

Reb/G: B. Adebayo (10.3)

Coaches:

Houston Rockets: Ime Udoka (1st season)

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra (16th season)