Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 12/29/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets

Date: Sunday, December 29, 2024

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Toyota Center is the site where the Houston Rockets (20-9) will try to beat the Miami Heat (14-13) on Sunday.

The Heat played the Nets and took home the win by a score of 110-95 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Heat ended up walking away with 16 while the Nets accounted for 24 personal fouls. They also knocked down 13 out of their 34 attempts from downtown. Brooklyn went 80.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 16 of 20 attempts. On top of that, Brooklyn totaled 53 rebounds (15 offensive, 38 defensive) and had 5 blocks. Brooklyn recorded 26 assists and had 11 steals for this contest. In reference to defense, Miami allowed 39.3% from the floor on 33 of 84 shooting. They also recorded 13 assists for this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 20 turnovers and earning 13 steals. When it comes to rebounding, they compiled 56 with 19 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Heat converted 21 of their 24 shots for a percentage of 87.5%. Miami finished with a 49.3% FG percentage (36 out of 73) and made 17 of 41 three-point shots.

Bam Adebayo is one player who was a major contributor for the game. He finished with 23 points on 8 out of 12 shooting. He was on the court for 31 minutes and grabbed 7 boards. Adebayo went 66.7% from the floor and also recorded 7 assists.

Get all of our NBA Parlay Picks

Miami will play this game with a win-loss record of 14-13 for the season. They have an average of 112.1 pts per contest (16th in basketball) while going 45.4% from the field. The Heat are shooting 37.4% on shots from downtown (393 of 1,050) and 78.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Miami is pulling in 43.6 boards per game and has totaled 696 dimes this year, which is 23rd in the NBA in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 13.3 times per game and as a squad they are committing 16.6 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Heat have forced 15.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.2 fouls. They are currently ranked 6th in the league in giving up assists with 719 relinquished on the season. The Heat defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 46.0% (1,090 of 2,367) and they surrender 45.3 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They give up 36.5% on 3-pointers and they are 6th in the NBA in opponents PPG (109.4).

In their last game, the Rockets walked away with a victory by a final of 114-101 against the Hornets. The Rockets collected 35 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 43 in the game. They also gave up possession 15 times, while recording 9 steals in the matchup. The Hornets committed 16 fouls in this matchup which took the Rockets to the charity stripe for a total of 19 attempts. They were able to make 15 of those for a percentage of 78.9%. Regarding shots from downtown, Houston made 13 out of their 42 attempts (31.0%). Overall, the Rockets finished shooting 43 out of 99 from the field which had them at 43.4%. The Rockets allowed the Hornets to convert 37 of 89 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 41.6% in the game. They finished 27.8% from 3-point land by going 10 out of 36 and ended up going 17 out of 24 at the free throw line (70.8%). In reference to how they attacked the glass, Houston permitted Charlotte to collect 44 overall (11 on the offensive side).

Jabari Smith Jr. was important for the Rockets for this contest. Smith Jr. scored 21 points in his 35 minutes on the court and accounted for 2 assists in this matchup. He knocked down 7 out of 14 in this contest for a rate of 50.0%, and totaled 11 rebounds.

Houston has a win-loss mark of 20-9 on the season. The Rockets are responsible for committing 20.0 personal fouls per contest while shooting 77.0% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 22.6 times per contest (29th in basketball) and they are giving up possession 13.6 times per contest. Houston has scored 3,275 pts so far this year (112.9 per contest) and they snag 49.6 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Rockets are hitting on 44.2% from the field, which is 26th in basketball.

The Houston defense allows 34.5% on shots from 3-point land (345 of 1,001) and their opponents are converting on 75.0% of their foul shots. They have conceded 22.3 dimes and 43.6 rebounds every game, which is 1st and 13th in basketball. The Rockets on defense are ranked 3rd in basketball in points allowed per game with 106.3. They have forced 15.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 43.5% from the field (2nd in the league).

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

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

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here