Houston Rockets vs Miami Heat Prediction, 1/8/2024 Preview and Pick
Game: Houston Rockets vs Miami Heat
Date: Monday, January 8, 2024
Location: Kaseya Center in Miami, FL
TV: Bally Sports Sun
Odds/Point Spread: Houston (+5)
The Miami Heat (20-15) will take on the Houston Rockets (18-16) at Kaseya Center on Monday. Miami opens this matchup as 5-point favorites. The betting total is set at 216.5.
The Rockets stepped onto the hardwood against the Bucks and earned the victory with a final of 112-108 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Rockets walked away with 24 while the Bucks totaled 24 fouls. They buried 9 of 34 attempts from three-point range. Milwaukee went 69.0% from the free throw line by burying 29 of 42 tries. On top of that, Milwaukee grabbed 41 boards (4 offensive, 37 defensive) and added 2 rejections. Milwaukee doled out 20 assists and had 7 steals in this matchup. In terms of defending, Houston allowed the other team to go 46.1% from the floor on 35 out of 76 shooting. They also doled out 22 assists in the matchup while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected 46 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Rockets made 27 of 32 tries for a rate of 84.4%. Houston wrapped up the game having earned a 43.4% FG percentage (36 of 83) and made 13 out of their 34 3-pointers.
Alperen Sengün is someone who was a factor for the game. Sengun went 33.3% from the floor and also recorded 4 assists. He was on the hardwood for 31 minutes and collected 11 rebounds. He ended up with 21 points on 7 out of 21 shooting.
Houston comes into this one with a mark of 18-16 on the year. They have an average of 112.5 pts per game (23rd in basketball) on 46.4% from the field. The Rockets are hitting 37.0% on shots from 3-point land (427 of 1,153) and 78.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, Houston is snagging 44.9 rebounds per game and has accumulated 853 assists for the year, which is 27th in basketball in terms of passing. They turn it over 13.1 times per contest and as a team are committing 21.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis.
When they are on the defensive end, the Rockets have forced 13.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.1 personal fouls. They are conceding 32.8% on shots from distance and they are ranked 2nd in the NBA in opponents points per game (109.9). The Rockets defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.1% (1,330 of 2,949) and they surrender 43.8 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 1st in the league in allowing assists with 804 conceded for the season.
When they last stepped on the court, the Heat took a defeat with a final score of 113-97 against the Suns. The Heat were able to corral 33 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 44 in the matchup. They turned it over 15 times, while getting 5 steals in this game. The Suns committed 18 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Heat to the charity stripe for a total of 22 shots. They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 86.4%. Regarding 3-point shots, Miami knocked down 10 of their 37 attempts (27.0%). When the game finished, the Heat finished shooting 34 out of 83 from the field which had them sitting at 41.0%. The Heat permitted the Suns to knock down 44 of their 87 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.6% in the matchup. They finished 40.0% from three-point range by shooting 14 of 35 and walked away from this one shooting 11 of 17 at the free throw line (64.7%). Regarding cleaning the glass, Miami permitted Phoenix to snag 44 in total (9 on the offensive side).
Bam Adebayo was important for the Heat in the matchup. Adebayo earned 28 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in the matchup. He converted 11 out of 19 in the game for a field goal percentage of 57.9%, and accumulated 10 rebounds.
Miami has a record of 20-15 on the year. As an offensive unit, the Heat are shooting 46.8% from the floor, which ranks them 20th in basketball. Miami has earned 3,936 pts for the year (112.5 per game) and they average 41.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 26.1 times per game (16th in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.3 times per game. The Heat are responsible for committing 18.9 fouls per contest and they connect on 82.3% from the free throw line.
The Miami defense surrenders 36.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (464 of 1,267) and their opponents are knocking down 76.6% of their free throw shots. They surrender 26.9 assists and 42.3 rebounds per game, ranking them 17th and 7th in the NBA. The Heat defensively are ranked 8th in basketball in PPG given up with 111.6. They are able to force 14.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 48.0% from the floor (21st in basketball).
Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?
Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Houston (+5)
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