Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat: Predictions and betting tips | Jan. 8, 2024

The Houston Rockets (18-16) will travel to Miami on Monday, January 8, to face the Miami Heat (20-15) at The Kaseya Center, which is set to take place at 7:30 PM ET. To catch the live action for the matchup, The game will be broadcast on BSSUN and Space City Home Network.

You can also watch the game on FuboTV and NBA League Pass, which offers a free trial. Additionally, users can follow the text broadcast of the game on azscore.com or get live coverage on ESPN.

The Heat are coming off a 97-113 loss against the Phoenix Suns, while the Rockets pulled off an impressive upset against the Milwaukee Bucks at home. In their last ten games, the Heat have gone 6-4, and the Rockets have split theirs 5-5.

The two teams have played 72 games in the regular season, with 39 wins for the Heat and 33 for the Rockets.

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Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat predictions, previews, starting lineups and betting tips

Moneyline: Houston (+164) vs. Miami (-185)

Spread: Houston (+4.5) vs. Miami (-4.5)

Total (O/U): Houston (O 219.5) vs. Miami (U 219.5)

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Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat preview

The Heat have gone 9-6 in their home-stand games, while the Rockets have been below their standard, going 3-10 on the road. The Heat boast a net rating of 1.2, and the Rockets have a net 2.4 rating, better than the Heat.

With Jimmy Butler not available for the Heat, the team will need significant contributions from others. Notably, the Heat's rookie Jaime Jaquez has taken big strides under Coach Spoelstra and has contributed significantly to their offence.

For the Rockets, Dillion Brooks will be missing the game. The big men for the Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun have played relatively well under new head coach Ime Udoka. Both teams feature defensive-headed coaches, and the game will see more defence and a low-scoring offence.

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Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat starting lineups

The Rockets will start Fred VanVleet as the PG, Jalen Green will be his back-court SG, Jae' Sean Tate will play the SF, Jabari Smith Jr. as the PF, and Alperen Sengun will hold the Center position.

For the Heat, Kyle Lowry will start as the PG, Tyler Hero will share the back-court as SG, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Nikola Jovic will share the front-court as SF and PF, and Bam Adebayo will hold the paint as the Center.

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Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat betting tips

Sengun leads the Rockets in both points 21.4 and 9 rebounds per contest, and averages 5 assists. Defensively, he gets 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocked shots. His points prop are set at, Over 22.5 for -120, Over 8.5 rebounds for -135, and Over 4.5 assists for +100.

Tyler Herro averages 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.3 steals. His point props are set at, Over 22.5 for -105, Over 5.5 rebounds for +105 and Over 5.5 assists for +124. Herro's average points per game over his last ten games (20.4), that is 2.1 points below his over/under for this particular game.

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Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat predictions

The Miami Heat are favoured to win by 5 points against the Houston Rockets, as the betting odds suggest for the spread. The point total for the game is 216.5, which is a relatively low-scoring affair. The Rockets are 20-12-2 against the spread this season, while the Heat have gone 16-18-1 against the spread.