NBA picks: Suns vs. Heat prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Monday, Jan. 29
Nurkic is questionable for Phoenix, while Booker, Durant and Beal are good to go. The Suns are 3.5-point underdogs and the total is still 229.5. I like Phoenix +3.5 as the ATS pick and the under on the total.
The Phoenix Suns (26-20) will be on the second night of a back-to-back set Monday when they visit the Miami Heat (24-22). Both these teams believe they are Finals contenders, but both are on losing streaks right now with the Suns dropping the last two and the Heat falling in their last six. This is the second meeting between these teams, with Phoenix winning the first contest 113-97. The Suns didn’t have Kevin Durant for that game, while the Heat were without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier wasn’t on the team yet.
The Suns won’t submit an official injury report until 1 p.m. ET, but the statuses of Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic will be worth monitoring on the second night of a back-to-back set. The Heat are clean on the day-to-day injury front.
The Heat are 3-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total coming in at 229.5. Miami is -148 on the moneyline while Phoenix is +124.
Suns vs. Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Suns +3
Given how hot Booker has been offensively, I expect him to suit up. Durant should be good as well, while Beal and Nurkic are question marks. The Suns have lost their last two games but were winners of seven straight prior to that. They were 3-4 ATS in that seven-game stretch.
The Heat have failed to cover the spread in their last seven games, six of which were losses. Miami was a favorite in four of those seven games, and has a loss as a double-digit favorite against the Grizzlies. Even though the Suns might have some tired legs from a loss Sunday, they are playing better overall basketball right now and should cover here if not win outright.
Over/Under: Under 229.5
The Suns were locked in defensively during their winning streak and they’ll attempt to get back to that against a Miami team that struggles to score. Phoenix has gone 2-6-1 to the over in the last nine games. The Heat have gone over their totals in the last two games but had seven unders prior to that. I like the under to hit in this contest tonight.
