The San Antonio Spurs visit AmericanAirlines Arena to take on the Miami Heat. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and will air on SUN, FSW and TNT.
The Heat come into this game on a high note after beating the Nets 102-98 in their last game. Dwyane Wade was the game’s high scorer with 27 points on 11-for-22 shooting. The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 120-90 loss against the Warriors in their last outing. Kawhi Leonard had a team-high 16 points.
Scoring opportunities from the charity stripe may be sporadic for the Spurs in this one. They’re 28th in the league in free throw attempt rate (23.9), while Miami is among the NBA’s least foul-prone teams (yielding a rate of 23.3, ranking second overall).
The Heat enter the game with records of 29-23 Straight Up (SU) and 26-25-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 29-23 SU and 26-25-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The most recent ten-game stretch for the Heat has gone great. Over that span, Miami is averaging 109.9 points per game, well over their season average of 95.9.
In the other locker room, the Spurs have 43-8 SU and 33-18 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, San Antonio is 43-8 SU and 33-18 ATS. Offensively, the Spurs have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 104.9 points per game after averaging only 95.7 during that stretch. The Spurs are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking second in the NBA at 1.91. San Antonio’s defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, averaging an NBA-best 91.5 points allowed per game. San Antonio’s three-point defense has set the standard for the league, with opponents making a league-low 272 shots from the three-point line (6.0 per game).
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time the Heat and the Spurs played, San Antonio won, moving its SU record against the Heat to 7-3 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Furthermore, the Spurs lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA
Notes
The Miami Heat score 98.6 points per home game this season. However, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed on the road, giving up just 92.8 per game.
In its last game, San Antonio lost by a 30-point margin. Miami is 5-5 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. San Antonio has a 19-1 record in blowouts.
San Antonio has a formidable 34-3 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Miami is 12-18 when it puts up under 100.
San Antonio is a split 4-4 in contests where it gives up at least 100 points. Miami is a superb 13-3 when it hits triple digits.
The Spurs have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.9). The Heat are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 100.8 (ranked sixth).
Miami has an average field goal percentage of 46.0%, eighth-ranked in the NBA. San Antonio is a solid 8-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Miami Heat average 19.0 three point attempts per game, while the San Antonio Spurs attempt 18.0 per game. When attempting 25 or more three pointers in a game, Miami is a losing 1-3, while San Antonio is an even 1-1.
The Miami Heat rank 19th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.50. The San Antonio Spurs have a higher A/TO (1.91), ranking second.
The Miami Heat rebound 42.7 times per game and are ranked 21st. Ranked seventh, the San Antonio Spurs rebound 45.0 times per game.
Miami is ranked 11th in defensive rebounds, while San Antonio ranks 23rd in offensive rebounds.
San Antonio is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.0% (ranked seventh). Miami has a losing record of 6-12 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.0% or greater.
