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The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat renew their NBA Finals rivalry on Wednesday 11/7/18 at the American Airlines Arena.
San Antonio and Miami squared off during the 2013 and 2014 NBA Finals with the Heat winning in 2013 and the Spurs triumphant in 2014. Four years later, both teams aren’t considered as title contenders as both have undergone major personnel changes since they last met in the championship series.
The Spurs are now without their championship stalwarts in Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. Meanwhile, the Heat are no longer without LeBron James and Chris Bosh, two of their Big Three.
DeRozan’s Team Now
A lot of people doubted the San Antonio Spurs after they traded Kawhi Leonard last summer. But the player they got in exchange for Leonard has taken over the Klaw’s old duties as the main man in San Antonio. DeMar DeRozan leads the Spurs in scoring (27.3 PPG), assists (6.7 APG) and steals (1.2 SPG) this season. He’s also become the Spurs’ closer during the clutch and has helped the team win close games by taking over.
LaMarcus Aldridge leads the Spurs in rebounding at 9.1 rebounds per game. He is also second in the team in scoring at 20.0 points per game this season. However, the Spurs may play this game without third leading scorer (13.3 points per game ) Rudy Gay who missed the Spurs’ last game with a sore heel. The Spurs are already without starting point guard Dejounte Murray.
San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat 11/7/18
Moneyline Odds: Spurs +105, Heat -125
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/7/18
Short Handed Heat
The Miami Heat have been short handed since the season began. Right now the, Heat are missing the services of Dion Waiters ( ankle injury) and James Johnson (hernia). In their previous game, Hassan Whiteside wasn’t able to play because of an injured right knee. Whiteside leads the Heat in rebounds and blocks per game.
Without Whiteside in their last game, the Heat turned to Josh Richardson for offense. Richardson scored 27 points and 8 rebounds as the Heat overcame the Orlando Magic in a 124-120 overtime win. Richardson scored 9 out of the Heat’s 15 points in overtime including four free throws that sealed Miami’s win.
Who Wins?
The Spurs lead their all time series 43-18 and they have won the last nine meetings between these two squads.The Spurs are 2-1 SU in their three home games this season while the Heat are 2-2 at home. San Antonio is also is 2-1 SU as the betting favorites this season while Miami is 2-4 SU as underdogs.
The Spurs have an additional one-game rest compared to the Heat will be playing shorthanded without Waiters and James Johnson. Hassan Whiteside is also doubtful starter in this game due to a knee injury. San Antonio has moved on pretty well without Leonard and are winning games because of DeRozan’s strong start.
The duo of DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge should prove too much for the Heat especially if Whiteside doesn’t suit up for this contest. Spoelstra and Popovich are equally good coaches but The Spurs still have more firepower left in this one.
We’re picking the San Antonio Spurs to beat the Miami Heat on 11/7/18.
Other Bets To Make
San Antonio is 5-4 ATS this season while the Heat are 4-5 ATS to start the 2018-19 campaign. The Spurs are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games on the road while the Heat are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games played and only 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games. Head to head, the Heat are 0-5 in their last 5 games against the Spurs and are 0-5 in their last five games at the American Airlines Arena against San Antonio. Miami is also 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games after an SU win and are 1-7-1 in their last 8 games after an ATS win. San Antonio meanwhile is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after an ATS loss.
San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat 11/7/18
Spread Odds: Spurs +2 (-112), Heat -2 (-108)
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/7/18
San Antonio beat Miami by double digits in both of their meetings last season and have covered the spread in 10 out of their last 11 games against each other. I’m taking the plus points and the road team here.
Prediction Spurs +2.5
The over is 6-3 in San Antonio’s last 9 games played and the over is also 8-3 in their last 11 games on the road. On the other hand, the total has gone over in all of Miami’s last five games played and and the over is 5-2 in the Heat’s last 7 home games. Head to head, the total has gone over in five out of their last six games and the over is also 5-2 in the last seven games between these teams in Miami.
San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat 11/7/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 216.5 -110, Under 216.5 -110
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/7/18
These are the 10th and 11th top scoring teams in the NBA with San Antonio averaging 113.4 points per game and Miami at 113.3. The over is 6-3 in the Spurs’ nine games this season while the over is also 7-2 in Miami’s opening nine games played so far. Even with both temas missing or probably missing players, this should be a high scoring affair.
Prediction: Over 216.5
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