The Miami Heat head to Talking Stick Resort Arena to take on the Phoenix Suns. The game starts at 9:30 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 8 and will air on SUN, FAZ, C+ and C+D.
The Suns were victorious over the Hornets 111-102 on Wednesday. Mirza Teletovic led all scorers on the team with 19 points on 6-for-17 shooting. The Heat, meanwhile, are coming off a 98-90 loss at the hands of the Knicks on Wednesday. Chris Bosh had a good shooting night, leading the game with 28 points.
This game should be a battle of contrasting styles. The Suns (ranked fourth in the league in possessions per game) prefer an up-tempo style of play, while the Heat (30th) are more half-court-oriented.
The Suns are a four-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 198 points. The Suns enter the game with records of 13-25 Straight Up (SU) and 16-22 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 3-7 ATS. Something to watch out for is if Phoenix can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 18.2 points off turnovers per game.
Across the court, Miami has a SU record of 21-14 and an ATS record of 17-17-1. In Western Conference games, Miami has gone 10-2 SU and 7-4-1 ATS. Miami may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Suns averaging 22.4 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
This is the first meeting of the season for the Suns and the Heat. The last time they played Miami came out on top, moving its SU record against the Suns to 10-0 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. The Heat also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 9-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia, ATS Winner – Mia, O/U – Under
Notes
Phoenix is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games.
Phoenix is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Phoenix’s last 8 games at home.
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Phoenix is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix’s last 5 games when playing Miami.
Phoenix is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Miami.
Phoenix is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Miami.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix’s last 5 games when playing at home against Miami.
Phoenix averages 102.8 points per game (ranked seventh). However, Miami has allowed an average of just 94.7 points per game (ranked second).
Phoenix ranks sixth in the league with 105.4 points per home game. Miami gives up just 92.8 points per away game (ranked second).
Phoenix has a 5-4 record when allowing fewer than 100 points. Miami has a 10-12 record when failing to hit the century mark.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Suns are just 8-21 this season. Miami is a stellar 11-2 when it reaches the century mark.
The Suns have an offensive rating of 101.8 (ranked 20th). The Heat rank sixth for their defensive rating of 99.6.
The Phoenix Suns average 100.9 possessions per game and 1.018 points per possession, while the Miami Heat earn fewer possessions (93.6) but more points per possession (1.038).
The Miami Heat have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with an EFF% of 50.4%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Phoenix Suns have an abysmal 5-23 record.
Phoenix makes an average of 20.7 assists per game (ranked 21st), while Miami makes 19.7 assists per game (ranked 25th).
Miami, the second-ranked team in terms of blocking, makes an average of 6.8 blocks per game. Phoenix ranks lower at 26th with 3.9.
The Phoenix Suns rank 18th in offensive rebounding, while the Miami Heat rank eighth in defensive rebounding.
The Suns record 9.0 steals per game on average (ranked fifth). The Heat are 4-6 when allowing at least 9 steals.
