With eight wins over their past 10 games the Miami Heat will take the floor at home on Thursday night in a marquee NBA betting matchup against the San Antonio Spurs - who they blasted in their one meeting last season.
* Editor Note: NBA looking into sanctions vs Spurs after four players were sent home to rest and did not play. Line moved all the way to -13 at most sportsbooks. Spurs still covered and almost won with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
LeBron James and company beat Tim Duncan and the Spurs 120-98 back in January as a 7-point home favorite on the NBA betting odds at the sportsbooks, covering the posted spread against San Antonio for the second straight time.
The Spurs will look to vanquish their hosts on Thursday, as they are 10-5-1 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Heat are 6-7 ATS. San Antonio is 10-6 against the total, while Miami is 7-6 versus the number. (Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news).
View San Antonio vs Miami Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
For bettors going with the Heat in this one, they were listed earlier as 6-point favorites on the betting line at Sportsbook. Totals bettors have seen that number set at 205.5 for Monday at shops such as Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Heat at No. 10 and the Spurs at No. 9 heading into this contest. Handicapping models run by the computers at Odds Shark project a 108-105 result in favor of the Spurs.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Miami's No. 2-ranked offense, averaging 104.8 PPG, against a Spurs defense that ranks No. 9 at 95.1 PPG. The Heat field goal percentage has averaged 49.4% so far, more than the Spurs shooters have achieved on the year, 48.1% per game.
Defensively, the Spurs feature the league's No. 9-rated defense on the road, giving up 96.2 points per game. Miami, meanwhile, comes in at No. 1 in the league in scoring at home.
San Antonio was a 110-89 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Magic. They covered the 7.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 199 sent OVER bettors to the payout window. San Antonio cruised to victory on Wednesday, running Orlando out of the gym and running up a 110-89 score at Amway Center.
The Heat were a 110-108 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Cavaliers. They failed to cover the 15-point spread as favorites, while the total score (218) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. Cleveland was victimized by LeBron James for 30 points as the Heat defeated the Cavaliers 110-108 in NBA action on Saturday.
San Antonio Spurs Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Memphis are 3-7
After playing Orlando are 9-1
After a win are 7-3
Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Brooklyn are 8-2
After playing Cleveland are 7-3
After a win are 7-3
A few Spurs at Heat trends to consider:
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio's last 5 games
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio's last 5 games on the road
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Miami's last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Miami's last 16 games when playing at home against San Antonio
Miami is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Next up:
San Antonio home to Memphis, Saturday, December 1
Miami home to Brooklyn, Saturday, December 1
