Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 12/31/2021 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets

Date: Friday, December 31, 2021

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: Bally Sports Sun

The Miami Heat (22-13) are headed to Toyota Center on Friday where they will take on the Houston Rockets (10-25).

The Heat played the Wizards and went home with a win by a final score of 119-112 in their last contest. Miami finished the contest with a 44.6% field goal percentage (41 of 92) and buried 16 of their 34 3-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Heat made 21 of their 23 tries for a percentage of 91.3%. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 42 with 14 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 26 dimes in this game as well as forcing the opposition into 3 turnovers and getting 14 steals. When discussing defense, Miami allowed the other team to shoot 49.4% from the field on 42 out of 85 shooting. Washington doled out 47 dimes and had 27 steals in the game. Additionally, Washington collected 34 rebounds (13 offensive, 21 defensive) and had 5 blocked shots. Washington ended up going 78.6% when shooting free throws by making 11 of 14 attempts. They also converted 17 out of their 42 tries from downtown. When it comes to personal fouls, the Heat ended up finishing with 13 while the Wizards accumulated 18 personal fouls.

Jimmy Butler is someone who was a contributor for the contest. Butler finished shooting 50.0% from the floor and also recorded 15 assists. He saw the court for 36 minutes played and pulled down 8 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 25 points on 8 of 16 shooting.

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Miami will enter this contest with a mark of 22-13 on the season. They average 107.4 points per contest (18th in basketball) on 46.0% from the floor. The Heat are shooting 37.0% on shots from distance (464 of 1,255) and 79.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Miami is grabbing 44.4 rebounds per game and has earned 887 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 5th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 14.6 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 20.2 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Heat are able to force 15.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.8 fouls. They are relinquishing 34.7% on shots from distance and they are 3rd in the league in PPG allowed (103.4). The Heat defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 44.1% (1,287 of 2,921) and they surrender 41.7 rebounds per game as a team. They rank 14th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 804 surrendered this season.

For their last game, the Rockets took a loss by a score of 132-123 when they faced the Lakers. The Rockets corralled 26 defensive boards and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 for this contest. They also turned it over 14 times, while earning 10 steals in the game. The Lakers committed 12 personal fouls for the game which got the Rockets to the free throw line for a total of 25 tries. They were able to make 19 of those for a percentage of 76.0%. When talking about shots from distance, Houston converted 16 of 35 attempts (45.7%). When the final whistle was blown, the Rockets walked away from this one shooting 44 out of 83 from the floor which had them sitting at 53.0%. The Rockets permitted the Lakers to convert 48 of their 92 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 52.2% in the game. They went 41.2% from three-point range by shooting 14 out of 34 and finished the contest at 22 out of 29 at the free throw line (75.9%). In regard to how they attacked the glass, Houston permitted Los Angeles to collect 34 overall (14 on the offensive glass).

Christian Wood ended up being a factor for the Rockets for the contest. He made 8 of 12 in this game for a rate of 66.7%, and accounted for 6 rebounds. Wood accumulated 22 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 3 assists for the contest.

Houston has a win-loss record of 10-25 for the season. The Rockets are committing 20.3 fouls per contest and they shoot 70.7% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 23.2 times per contest (18th in the NBA) and they are losing possession via turnover 17.3 times per game. Houston has accounted for 3,745 pts this season (107.0 per contest) and they average 42.9 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Rockets are connecting on 45.2% from the field, which ranks them 17th in the league.

The Rockets on defense are ranked 29th in the league in points given up per game with 114.8. They have forced 13.8 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 46.4% from the floor (24th in the NBA). The Houston defense allows 34.6% on 3-point shots (468 of 1,351) and their opponents are connecting on 78.5% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 24.0 dimes and 44.9 boards per game, which ranks them 15th and 16th in basketball.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Houston and under the total points

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