Subscribe
Follow Us
The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat faced off exactly a week ago as the two teams look to matchup once again Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. With that being said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Spurs-Heat prediction and pick.
The Spurs are riding a three-game winning streak and are currently sitting in the 9th seed in the Western Conference with a record of 31-29. Meanwhile, the Heat are coming off a very disappointing loss to the Chicago Bulls for a record of 32-30 and the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Spurs-Heat odds.
NBA Odds: Spurs-Heat Odds
San Antonio Spurs +4.5 (-107)
Miami Heat -4.5 (-113)
Over 213.5 Points (-110)
Under 213.5 Points(-110)
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
Injury Report: Derrick White (out), Trey Lyles (out)
The Spurs have been going through a very good stretch as of late to further solidify their position in the play-in tournament.
With all of Gregg Popovich's squad, the Spurs are very sound on both ends of the floor and they make fairly few mistakes. The team currently ranks as the 10th best defensive and 18th best offensive team in the league.
The reason for the team's struggles offensively is because despite having seven players average double-digit points for the season, the Spurs are very team-oriented and do not have that one player to take over offensively.
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 if the Spurs can keep up offensively. That'll mean, Popovich will need a big game from his two stars, DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray, especially as the team is without their third-leading scorer in Derrick White.
DeRozan has been averaging 21.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Murray, on the other hand, has been putting up 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the field.
Article Continues Below
The key for the Spurs to cover the spread on Wednesday will be for either Murray or DeRozan to have a big offensive game while preventing a big game from either Butler or Bam Adebayo on the other end of the floor.
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
Injury Report: Victor Oladipo (out), Kendrick Nunn (questionable), Tyler Herro (questionable), Gabe Vincent (probable)
The Heat have not been able to develop a rhythm or get on a consistent winning streak this season. In just their last five games, the Heat have won by double-digits against the Spurs and the Houston Rockets but also fallen to an Atlanta Hawks team without Trae Young and a Chicago Bulls team without Zach Lavine.
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. There are also five other players averaging double-digits for Coach Spoelstra but they have dealt with their fair share of injuries, with Victor Oladipo, Goran Dragic, and Tyler Herro on the shelf currently.
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 frankly the reason they have been even winning games.
The key for the Heat to cover the spread on Wednesday is the same as the Spurs and that'll be to perform better offensively than their opponents.
Final Spurs-Heat Prediction & Pick
The matchup between the Spurs and the Heat will be a battle between two very talented defensive squads. The team that will take the edge and covers the spread on Wednesday will be the one that can have a bigger offensive night which was the Heat last week where Butler and Bam combined for 41 points while DeRozan and Murray combined for only 26 points. If the Heat is able to find their stride offensively and strap down on the stars for the Spurs, the Heat should pick up a much-needed win to overtake the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR SPURS-HEAT: SAS 98, MIA 110 (MIA -4.5)
