Rockets vs Heat NBA Pick: 2 Teams Heading in Opposite Directions Meet (Mar 21)

• The Houston Rockets (45-25, 2nd in the West) visit the Miami Heat (29-40, 10th in the East)
• Houston has won 8 straight and is trying to hold off the Lakers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Warriors in the conference
• Miami has lost 9 in a row, but can still make it to the postseason through the Play-In Tournament
• The Heat won the earlier matchup between the teams on Dec. 29, 104-100.

The blazing Rockets have won eight in a row and risen to the second spot in the West. Problematically, they are not going to catch Oklahoma City, and there are four very good teams on their heels. They could easily end up in the sixth spot by the time the regular season ends.

For the Heat, the trade of Jimmy Butler was a capitulation and a tacit admission that they are retooling for the future. The primary player who came to Miami in the trade, Andrew Wiggins, is day-to-day with a leg injury.

Houston Is Beating the Teams It Should Beat

During their streak, Houston has not exactly beaten the best the NBA has had to offer. They have beaten New Orleans twice, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Orlando. It’s a veritable who’s who of teams that will miss the playoffs. But wins are wins.

Against Orlando on the road, Houston walked away with a 116-108 win. Jalen Green led the way with 26 points. Alperen Sengün added 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. Fred VanVleet added 19.

Houston’s playoff seeding will be determined by how they perform against the bottom-feeding teams (like Miami) until the end of the season and if they can hold their own against fellow Western Conference contenders.

With their defense (fifth in the league in the fewest points allowed per game) and rebounding (tops in the league), they are a legitimate threat in the postseason. They are shaky from 3-point range, near the bottom in the NBA.

Reality Has Hit for the Heat

Miami has lost 16 of 20 since the Butler trade. At the time, they were one game over .500 and had a good chance at making the postseason. Now? Not so much.

In their last game at home against Detroit, they were beaten 116-113. In the losing effort, Bam Adebayo scored 30, pulled down 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Tyler Herro added 29. Kel’el Ware had 12 rebounds and 14 points. Detroit took the game on Cade Cunningham’s game-winner at the buzzer.

For the season, the Heat averaged just over 109 PPG. In their last 10 games, however, they are down to just over 102 PPG. Their points allowed per game is about the same at 110. Their rebounding has declined as have their 3-pointers. The season is coming undone for them.

Rockets vs Heat Pick: Houston Will Continue Miami’s Downward Spiral

Houston is on the way up and Miami is on the way down. While Erik Sploelstra’s team puts up a fight, they have been outmanned. This will continue against a Houston team that needs to put up wins to maintain its spot in the West.