Half-time report
The Rockets and Heat showed up to the game, but their offenses did not. The Rockets have a bit of a lead as they currently lead the Heat 73-61.
The Rockets came into the game with extra motivation after the loss they suffered the last time these two teams faced each other. We’ll see if they are able to flip the script or if it will just be more of the same.
Who’s playing
Miami Heat @ Houston Rockets
Current records: Miami 15-14, Houston 21-10
How to watch
- When: Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Or: Toyota Center – Houston, TX
- TV: Space City domestic network
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $46.56
What you need to know
The Heat are 9-1 against the Rockets since November 2019, and they will have a chance to extend that success on Sunday. After playing yesterday, the Miami Heat will hit the road to take on the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center. The Heat are expected to lose this one by 8.5 points, so we’ll see if that gives them some motivation.
On Saturday, the Heat came up short against the Hawks and fell 120-110.
The Heat’s loss came despite a quality game from Tyler Herro, who shot 4 of 7 from beyond the arc and had a double-double with 28 points and ten assists. This is the most assists Herro has posted since November. Jaime Jaquez Jr., on the other hand, was considerably less useful: he went 0-5 from deep.
Meanwhile, after a four-game winning streak, the Rockets’ good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They were a bucket away from victory and fell 113-112 to the Timberwolves. The loss hurt even more as Houston led 106-90 with 4:57 left in the fourth.
Despite the loss, the Rockets got a top performance from Alperen Sengun, who had a double-double with 38 points and 12 rebounds. Sengun struggled to find his footing against the Pelicans on Thursday, so this was a nice turnaround.
The Rockets struggled to work together and finished the game with just 19 assists. They were demolished by their opponents in this department as the Timberwolves posted 25.
Miami’s loss dropped their record to 15-14. As for Houston, their loss ended a three-game home winning streak and dropped them to 21-10.
In addition to losing their last matches, both failed to cover the spread. As for their next game, the Rockets are the favorites, as experts expect them to win by 8.5 points. There could be an interesting play of chance in this one, as they have done pretty well against the spread at home this season while Miami has struggled against the spread on the road.
The Heat beat the Rockets in their previous game in April by a score of 119-104. Will the Heat repeat their success, or will the Rockets have a better game plan this time around? We’ll know soon enough.
Odds
Houston is an 8.5-point favorite against Miami, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The line drifted a bit toward the Rockets, as the game opened with the Rockets as 6.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 216.5 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Miami has won 9 of its last 10 games against Houston.
- April 5, 2024 – Miami 119 vs. Houston 104
- January 8, 2024 – Miami 120 vs. Houston 113
- February 10, 2023 – Miami 97 vs. Houston 95
- December 15, 2022 – Miami 111 vs. Houston 108
- March 7, 2022 – Miami 123 vs. Houston 106
- December 31, 2021 – Miami 120 vs. Houston 110
- April 19, 2021 – Miami 113 vs. Houston 91
- February 11, 2021 – Miami 101 vs. Houston 94
- November 27, 2019 – Houston 117 vs. Miami 108
- November 3, 2019 – Miami 129 vs. Houston 100
