A pair of teams riding two-game win streaks will gather on Thursday night when the Houston Rockets host the Miami Heat in interconference play.
This will be the only time these teams match up this regular season. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center.
Let’s size this by looking at some NBA team stats, NBA odds, and how both teams have done in recent NBA matchups. Here is our Heat vs Rockets betting analysis.
Last Game Records
Rockets’ Last Game Records
Houston (9-18) has won two in a row, with both victories coming over really solid crews.
Milwaukee and Phoenix both figure to be firmly in the mix once the postseason rolls around, but both have recently visited the Rockets and been turned away.
Houston downed the Suns, 111-97, on Tuesday, as head coach Stephen Silas returned after his father’s death. The Rockets led by as much as 23 points as Jalen Green bucketed a total of 26 and Kevin Porter Jr. 18.
Worth mentioning Phoenix was without Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton and Cameron Payne left before halftime with injuries. The Suns shot a miserable 11-of-50 from the field in the first half.
Heat’s Last Game Records
Miami (14-15) hasn’t gotten to the start it would’ve liked after making a playoff run a season ago.
However, the Heat has won three of four, including two straight on the road. They beat Indiana on Monday before defeating Oklahoma City Wednesday.
It was one of the best Miami Heat games, performance-wise, this year. The win against the Thunder came by a 110-108 final.
Tyler Herro drained a career-high nine treys and knocked down the go-ahead jumper as he scored 35 on the night.
After Herro made what wound up being the game-winning shot with 4.9 seconds to go, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the mark in a mid-range jumper, and Josh Giddey couldn’t make a putback.
Miami’s 24 threes were a season-best. Jimmy Butler sat to rest his knee.
Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat Betting Analysis
Houston Rockets
Green paces the team with 21.8 points per game, while Porter Jr. averages 18.7. The latter also dishes out 5.7 assists, while center Alperen Sengun pulls down nine rebounds an outing.
Miami Heat
NBA player stats show that center Bam Adebayo is the Heat’s most consistent scorer (20.6 points per game) and rebounder (9.7). Point guard Kyle Lowry doles out 5.9 assists per outing.
NBA Injury Report
As we continue through our Heat vs Rockets betting analysis, it’s always a good idea to check who will be and won’t be on the floor, especially when making NBA picks.
For Houston, forward Jae’Sean Tate is still nursing an ankle injury and is out for this one.
- Point guard Gabe Vincent (knee)
- center Omer Yurtseven (ankle)
- Butler (knee)
Will all be absent for Miami.
Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat Betting Preview
Miami is the favorite in this one, as they’re marked down as -4 at -108, while the Rockets are -112 to cover.
On the money line, the Heat is -174, and Houston is a +146 underdog. The total is listed at 219 points, with the over -110 and the under the same.
Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat Betting Prediction
This will be one of the closer games on the NBA schedule Thursday night. You’ve got to like the fight that a young Houston team has shown lately, while Herro was able to pick up the slack while Butler was sitting.
The Houston Rockets standings may not be all that impressive, but they’re building something this year that could yield success going forward.
They’re in the middle of a long home stand, and another win against a solid opponent would go a long way.
Who to Bet On?
After going through our Heat vs Rockets betting analysis, let’s go with Houston to cover in this matchup, if not win outright.
Miami is missing a key player, and the young guys might be able to take advantage of that and put up a good fight.
NBA Pick: Rockets (+146)
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