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The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs are both coming off of consecutive wins as they matchup Wednesday night at AT&T Center. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Heat-Spurs prediction and pick.
The Heat is having a pretty disappointing end to the season as they have dropped to the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-28 despite having won their last two games. Same with the Spurs, as they currently sit at the edge of the play-in tournament in the Western Conference with a record of 28-28.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Heat-Spurs odds.
NBA Odds: Heat-Spurs Odds
Miami Heat +1 (-110)
San Antonio Spurs -1 (-110)
Over 215.5 Points (-110)
Under 215.5 Points(-110)
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
The Heat have not been able to develop a rhythm or get on a consistent winning streak this season. Perhaps the two straight wins the team has picked up against the Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets can propel them into a rhythm before the playoffs.
The area that Erik Spoelstra's squad will need to see the most drastic improvement is surprisingly on the offensive end of the floor. Despite being led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat are currently ranked as the 7th worst offensive team in the association.
Butler and Bam are averaging a combined 40.4 points, 16.5 rebounds, and 12.4 assists per game so far this season for this Miami team. Coach Spoelstra is also seeing contributions from the rest of the with five other players scoring over double-digits, including Victor Oladipo, Goran Dragic, and Tyler Herro.
On the defensive end of the floor, the Heat have been very solid all season long and as of right now hold the 6th best defensive rating in the league which has been their biggest asset and advantage.
For the Heat to cover the spread on Wednesday, the team will need some of the key role players, in addition to Butler and Bam, to step up offensively as the Spurs are also a very talented defensive team.
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Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
The Spurs have been going through a tough stretch as of late. The team at some point during the second half of the season was holding the 7th seed but have now dropped all the way to the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Similar to the Heat, the Spurs are a very solid defensive team where they currently rank 10th in the league but continue to struggle on the offensive end of the floor.
Gregg Popovich's squad holds the 12th worst defensive rating in the league. The reason for this is because despite having seven players average double-digit points for the season, the Spurs do not have that one-star player offensively like Steph Curry for the Golden State Warriors or Nikola Jokic for the Denver Nuggets.
That said, the issue for this San Antonio team on Wednesday against the Heat will not be on the defensive end of the floor but rather it will be a matter of if the Spurs can have a bigger offensive night than the Heat. That'll mean the Spurs will need a big game from their two stars, DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray.
DeRozan has been averaging 21.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Murray, on the other hand, has been putting up 15.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field.
If Popovich can get more production from his two stars and prevent a big game from either Butler or Bam, the Spurs will be able to cover the spread on Wednesday.
Final Heat-Spurs Prediction & Pick
The matchup between the Heat and the Spurs is a classic battle between two very talented defensive teams that struggle offensively. The team that will take the edge will be the team that can have a bigger offensive night and because of the injuries that the Heat are dealing with, the edge goes to the Spurs. Therefore, if the Heat stars are unable to take the floor on Wednesday, the Spurs should pick up their third consecutive win.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR HEAT-SPURS: MIA 102, SAS 110 (SAS -1)
