Heat vs Suns Odds, Spread and Picks

• The Heat face the Suns on Saturday evening
• Phoenix rolls in on a three-game winning streak
• Find the odds, preview, and prediction below

The Miami Heat continue their six-game road trip on Saturday night in the desert as they take on the red-hot Phoenix Suns, who currently have the best record in the Association at 30-8. The tip-off is set for 9pm ET at the Footprint Center.

The Heat are coming off a slim victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, despite being without Jimmy Butler. Phoenix, on the other hand, just notched their third consecutive win, blowing out the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday behind Cam Johnson’s team-high 24 points.

Heat vs Suns Odds

Odds as of January 7th at FanDuel.

Phoenix is an 8.5-point home favorite here and for good reason. They’ve gone 17-4 in the desert but just 21-17 ATS. Miami meanwhile, thrives an as ATS underdog, posting an 11-2 record.

Butler May Return on Saturday

The injury bug hit Jimmy Buckets again earlier this week, landing awkwardly on his ankle against the Warriors. His teammates had to help him off the court as he grimaced in pain, but Miami is hoping that he could return for Saturday’s contest.

However, he is currently listed as questionable. Without their superstar on Wednesday, Erik Spoelstra’s squad was able to grab a big win thanks to a very well-rounded effort from the entire offense.

https://twitter.com/BigOShow/status/1478226003650560001

Sharpshooter Max Strus led the way with 25 points while going 7-for-13 from downtown. Aside from him, another five players dropped 11 points or more, with Tyler Herro pouring in 16 and grabbing five rebounds.

The Heat were dominant on the boards, outrebounding Portland 50-36. Rookie big man Omer Yurtseven continued to impress, collecting 16 on his own and also notching 14 points. His strong play in the frontcourt has proven to be a huge boost for this team as Bam Adebayo recovers from thumb surgery.

Footage from the Miami Heat-Portland Trail Blazers. #yurtszn @OmerYurtseven5 pic.twitter.com/5ogJa23Uc5

— Ömer Yurtseven Ö7 (@omeryurtsevenO7) January 6, 2022

The Blazers are a poor defensive team and Miami really made them pay. They dished out 29 assists and couldn’t miss from three-point land, shooting an impressive 46%.

Spoelstra’s group is still dealing with absences, but the squad is managing to win ballgames. However, they’re only 12-11 on the road and the Suns are rolling right now. This will be a tough matchup on Saturday.

Suns Showcasing Depth

Phoenix has been hit relatively hard by COVID-19, with Jae Crowder, JaVale McGee, and Deandre Ayton all out due to the virus. However, the trio cleared protocols on Thursday and could be available here.

Nonetheless, the Suns haven’t exactly missed them, winning seven of their last 10 and getting contributions from some unlikely players, especially at the five.

last six games for Jalen Smith:

15.8 PPG (55% FG)
10.2 RPG
1.0 BPG

Stix has been great pic.twitter.com/DdiOLf8uWm

— LEEZUS (@AndrewLeezus) January 7, 2022

Jalen Smith is seeing a lot more minutes with Ayton out and he’s looked terrific. On Thursday against the Clippers, the big man collected 19 points and 14 boards. Since he’s filled in for Ayton in the first unit, the former Maryland standout has finished in double-digits in six straight games.

This victory vs. Los Angeles was the epitome of how good Phoenix is. Both Chris Paul and Devin Booker had relatively quiet nights, combining for a mere 25 points. CP3 however, dished out 10 dimes and got his other weapons going around him.

Cam Johnson had a game for the ages, erupting for 24 points while Cam Payne also did his part off the bench. Monty Williams’ squad typically shoots it well from long range, but instead, they really thrived in the paint here, outscoring LA by a whopping 52-28.

Even when their stars aren’t firing on all cylinders, there are other pieces around them on the Suns’ roster who are more than capable of doing damage. This is what makes Phoenix such a fantastic team.

Heat vs Suns Prediction

The Suns are riding a three-game win streak ATS. However, the spread is quite large and Miami can’t be taken for granted, even if Butler doesn’t play. That being said, Phoenix will win, but Miami will pull off an ATS victory and make this one close.

Pick: Heat ATS +8.5 (-110)