Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets Prediction, odds and more for 2023-24 NBA preseason

The Miami Heat close out their preseason with a game against the Houston Rockets on Friday (October 20) at the Toyota Center. With two wins from four games, the Heat have played it safe in their warmups by giving their star Jimmy Butler ample rest. He has not featured in any of the games so far. At the time of writing, there is no official word on whether he would lace up for the final game of the Heat's preseason game.

The new-look Rockets have won three of their preseason games and looked promising. Led by former Celtics coach Ime Udoka, the guard combination of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green seems to have gelled seamlessly. Houston will look to bounce back after their forgettable 2022-23 season when they take on the Orlando Magic in their regular season opener.

Ahead of Friday night's clash, here's a look at the team preview, the odds, and the predictions when the Heat take on the Rockets.

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Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets game preview and injury report

The Miami Heat will approach the final preseason game as just another warmup fixture. And chances are that they might give their bench an extended run and rest Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro as well. Alternatively, they could spring a surprise and get Butler on the floor in short bursts to just get some game conditioning done.

The 'Heat Culture' has seen the team prevail in the most adverse of situations, and Erik Spoelstra will be looking at another deeper run this season, if it means giving his players as much rest as they need, then the game against Houston will be another bench strength test.

The Rockets have opted for the approach of putting their best five out on the court to improve cohesion and chemistry. And safe to say, that they have made perfect use of the preseason by winning games and setting the tone for a solid start to the regular stretch.

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Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets odds and prediction

Spread: Heat (+1) vs Rockets (+1.5)

Moneyline: Heat (-110) vs Rockets (+105)

Total (o/u): 220.5/223.5

The Miami Heat are favorites heading into Friday's blockbuster but expect the Rockets to douse the competition given how their new-look unit has fared.

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Miami Heat roster

Bam Adebayo

Thomas Bryant

Jimmy Butler

Jamal Cain

Justin Champagnie

Cheick Diallo

RJ Hampton

Tyler Herro

Haywood Highsmith

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Nikola Jovic

Kevin Love

Kyle Lowry

Caleb Martin

Josh Richardson

Duncan Robinson

Orlando Robinson,

Dru Smith

Cole Swider

Houston Rockets roster

Jeff Green

Reggie Bullock

Boban Marjanovic

Nate Hinton

Jeenathan Williams

Matthew Mayer

Jermaine Samuels (TW)

Aaron Holiday

Dillon Brooks

Fred VanVleet

Jock Landale

Jalen Green

Amen Thompson

Cam Whitmore

Darius Days (TW)

Trevor Hudgins (TW)

Jae'Sean Tate

Jabari Smith Jr.

Tari Eason

Alperen Sengun