NBA Odds – Houston Rockets at Miami Heat
Houston Rockets at Miami Heat (-1.5, 203 o/u)
Two undefeated teams will take the floor on Tuesday Night at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, when the Houston Rockets visit the Miami Heat (7:30 p.m. Eastern).
The Rockets beat the 76ers on the road on Monday to move to 4-0 on the season. But it’s hard for the Houston faithful to get too excited, as the 76ers are predicted to finish near the bottom of the league; the other wins came against, the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Boston Celtics, who have a 2-9 record, combined.
Houston has the fourth best scoring defense in the NBA so far, allowing 91.0 points per game. But that, like their record, could be a product of sub-par competition. There isn’t much reason to think that their defense – which gave up over 103 points last season – has drastically improved.
Tonight, some of the lingering questions about the Rockets will be answered, as they face a Heat team, which has proved it remains a contender in the Eastern Conference sans LeBron.
The Heat enter this game with a 3-0 record, having beating the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, and a solid Toronto Raptors squad. (Against the Raptors, Miami covered as a two-point favorite.) With Chris Bosh now the focal point of the offense, the Heat are averaging 109.3 points per game, second best in the league. The defense has also held up well without James, who was a five-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team. The Heat are currently allowing 97.7 PPG, up just 0.3 from last season.
Miami’s aging point guard, Dwyane Wade, has played solid minutes through the first three games, and hopes are high that the injury-prone Wade will be able to handle a full season. “We’re going to go day to day, but we are able to keep his minutes manageable,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But he felt great. I think he looked quicker tonight than last night.”
Miami is a 1.5-point favorite tonight and the over/under is at 203. The Heat have won eight of the last nine games against the Rockets, but are just 5-4 ATS in those nine games. Also, did you know that they had LeBron James on their team for those games? They don’t anymore.
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
