The Oklahoma City Thunder will look to eke out another win a day after returning to their winning ways, as they are scheduled to face off against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in South Beach. Will the Thunder overcome possible fatigue and escape Miami with a win? Or, will the Heat defend their home court and send OKC away with a loss?
Catch this game live on Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 9:00 AM, Manila time
Away: Oklahoma City Thunder (21-5/10-3 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Cason Wallace
- Luguentz Dort
- Jalen Williams
- Isaiah Hartenstein
The Thunder are all right. After losing out on over $500,000 purse for each player following a 105-99 loss in Las Vegas to the Milwaukee Bucks last Wednesday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Bolts bested the Orlando Magic in a 105-99 road win on Friday. Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 35 points in the Magic game on 15-for-26 shooting from the floor while Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins each scored 11 points off the bench.
With SGA finding his groove again, the Thunder are hoping that he’d sustain his form for Saturday’s Miami game. The same can be said about OKC’s defense, which held Orlando to just 44.9 FG% and forced the Magic to commit 20 turnovers. Oklahoma City’s defense has been elite this season, with the team ranking first in the league overall with just 103.1 points allowed per game and tops as well with a 50 defensive field goal percentage. While they are playing their second game in as many nights, the Thunder have actually been decent, spread-wise, under such circumstances. Dating back to 2023, the Thunder are 10-8 against the spread in games played on zero days of rest.
The Thunder are 4-1 against the spread in their last five meetings with Miami.
Home: Miami Heat (13-11/8-4 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- Tyler Herro
- Duncan Robinson
- Jimmy Butler
- Haywood Highsmith
- Bam Adebayo
The Heat are looking to do a Thunder – that is to bounce back from a painful loss. After winning four games in a row, Miami got tripped up by the Detroit Pistons via a 125-124 overtime loss last Tuesday on the road. Jimmy Butler’s 35-point production was not enough for the Heat to survive the Pistons. Tyler Herro had 23 points but was inefficient on the field, making just nine of 25 shots from the floor and four of his 17 takes from behind the arc. Miami shot just 27.9 percent from deep but that’s not going to stop it from launching more threes.
On the season, the Heat are seventh in the league with a 37.9 3FG% and ninth with 39 3-point attempts per contest. One x-factor for the Heat is Dru Smith, who has silently averaged 7.8 points while shooting 52.9% from long range in the last six Miami games. Another factor to consider in this game that is also in favor of the Heat is that they have fresher legs than the Thunder, who are playing the second game of a back-to-back set on the road.
The Heat have covered the spread in five of their last 10 games as the home team.
Picks
Spread: Miami Heat (+1.5)
Over/Under: Under (215.0)
