San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 12/11/2023, 04:52  by Joseph King | Modified on 12/11/2023 at 05:46 in NBA Predictions

An inter-conference matchup in the NBA sees the East’s fourth-place Miami Heat taking on the West’s 13th-place San Antonio Spurs. Miami got off to a slow start in the 2023/24 campaign with a 1-4 record through the first five games. They’ve since responded brilliantly by winning their last four on the bounce following their most recent 117-109 away victory over the Hawks last night. The most impressive aspect of that win was that the Heat were missing two of their three best players in Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro. Bam Adebayo shouldered the load with 26 points, 17 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Miami has relied on a strong defense yet again as they rank ninth in the league with 110 points allowed per game. Last year’s NBA finalists will have to deal with playing the second of a road back-to-back here and will potentially be down both Butler and Herro again.

The San Antonio Spurs will be looking to put an end to a four game losing streak as they play their second straight home game. The Spurs’ last outing resulted in a 117-110 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, their third defeat by a single-digit margin on their home court. The arrival of Victor Wembanyama has certainly invigorated the team and his impact on the floor is undeniable. However, San Antonio is the youngest team in the NBA and is coming off a 22-win season so they are still very much a work in progress. Wembanyama posted his second-highest points total in the Spurs’ most recent game, dropping 29 points on 12 of 21 shooting. He also had a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball, swatting four shots, claiming one steal and grabbing eight defensive rebounds.