Th Houston Rockets visit the Miami Heat in a cross-conference NBA showdown Saturday, and Houston is looking to leave its brief Florida vacation on a four-game win streak. The Rockets (37-21) beat the Orlando Magic 113-108 on Thursday night for their third straight victory and sit third in the Western Conference. The Heat have lost consecutive games, including a 124-117 setback in Philadelphia on Thursday, and sit eighth in the Eastern Conference and are one game behind Orlando in the Southeast Division.
Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Miami’s Kaseya Center. Neither team is on a back-to-back, so the players who take the floor should be rested, but Houston’s Jabari Smith (ankle) and Heat top scorer Norman Powell (groin) are out. Checking the injury report is always important before selecting your same-game parlay. Houston is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Rockets vs. Heat odds, and the Over/Under for total points scored is 225.5. The Rockets are -143 on the money line, with the Heat +120 underdogs.
Some key players are out for Saturday’s Rockets vs. Heat matchup, but there are still plenty of options for player props or to combine those with other plays for a same-game parlay. We’ve built our own three-leg same-game parlay for this cross-conference matchup, with odds from FanDuel Sportsbook and recommendations from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered Week 19 on a sizzling 38-18 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Rockets vs. Heat same-game parlay picks
Heat +2.5
The SportsLine model has the Heat winning in 49% of simulations as +120 underdogs, and they are covering the spread in 55% of simulations. Miami is 17-11 on its home floor, going 15-13 against the spread, and has covered in five of eight games when they are underdogs. Houston is 22-30 ATS as a favorite this season, going 12-14 ATS as a road favorite. The Heat blew out the Grizzlies 136-120 the last time they played at home before losing the two on the road.
Over 225.5
The SportsLine model has a ‘B’ grade on the total in Saturday’s game, with the Over hitting in 60.1% of its simulations and its projected final score coming in well Over 230. The Rockets are 25-33 to the Over but have gone above the projected total in three straight, while Miami has gone Over in four of its past five. This is just the fourth time in Miami’s past 20 games that the total has been set lower than 230 points. The Heat are 30-29 to the Over, 5-2 O/U as a home underdog.
Tyler Herro Over 3.5 Assists
Herro averages 3.5 assists this season but has 19 over his past three games and at least three in 11 consecutive games. With Porter out, Herro will need to carry the offense, and he has done his part since the return from the All-Star break. Herro comes off a game where he scored 25 points and added seven assists and four rebounds. With the home crowd pushing the Heat against a tough opponent, Herro should be fired up to make an impact. The SportsLine props model has Herro with 3.9 assists.
Responsible gaming
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