The Miami Heat head back on the road for one more game before this weekend’s NBA All-Star break to face the Houston Rockets in an inter-conference battle on Wednesday night. Game time from the Toyota Center is set for 8 p.m. (ET).
Miami at Houston Game Overview
Miami was the hottest team in the NBA in recent weeks with 13 wins in a row both straight-up and against the spread, but at 24-32 SU (32-24 ATS) on the year it reverted to its old form in its last two outings as a favorite with a road loss to Philadelphia and a home loss to Orlando. The total went OVER in both losses and it has gone OVER in five of the Heat’s last seven games. They will go back on the road this Wednesday night with a SU record of 11-18, but they are a solid 17-12 ATS away from home.
The Heat got off to a slow start in Monday’s 116-107 stunner against the Magic as 7.5-point favorites at home and they could never really close that gap. After holding opponents to fewer than 100 points seven times during that 13-game tear, Miami has now allowed an average of 116.5 points in those last two losses. The one strong suit of this team all season long was its play on defense with a points-allowed average of 102.4 points per game that is ranked sixth in the NBA.
The Rockets bring a SU four-game winning streak into this matchup while going 3-1 ATS. This has been a solid turnaround from their recent 3-7 mark ATS in their previous 10 games while going 4-6 SU. Houston hammered Phoenix 133-102 this past Saturday as a 16-point favorite at home. The total went OVER the closing 233-point closing line after staying UNDER or ending as a PUSH in nine of its previous 13 contests. It comes into this game with a SU record of 21-6 (14-13 ATS) at home this season.
James Harden scored 40 points in Saturday’s win while going 8-for-15 from three-point range. He also added eight assists to the winning cause. Harden is now third in the league in scoring with 29.1 PPG and he leads the NBA in assists with 11.3. The Rockets are the second-highest scoring team in the NBA with 114.5 PPG, but they fall all the way to 24th in points allowed (107.8).
Miami at Houston Game Betting Trends
- The Heat are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against a team from the Southwest and they are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games. The total stayed UNDER in five of their last seven games played on Wednesday.
- The Rockets are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against the Eastern Conference and they are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS win. The total has gone OVER in five of their last seven Wednesday games.
- The home team has covered ATS in the last four meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in four of the last five games between the two. Miami won the first meeting this season 109-103 on Jan. 17 as a seven-point home underdog.
