Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs: Match Preview and Predictions - 19th January 2020
Match details
Fixture: Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs
Date & Time: Sunday, 19 January 2020 (3:00 PM ET)
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Last game results
Miami Heat (29-12): 115-108 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder (Friday, 17 January 2020)
San Antonio Spurs (17-23): 120-121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks (Friday, 17 January 2020)
Miami Heat Preview
The Miami Heat are the second seed in the Eastern Conference, seven games behind the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat have been outstanding at home, with an 18-1 record, but are .500 on the road at 11-11.
Friday night, the Heat beat the OKC Thunder 115-108 on the strength of rookie guard Kendrick Nunn scoring 22 points, Bam Adebayo's 21 points, and Jimmy Butler's double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Key Player: Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler's first season in Miami has been memorable up to this point. Heading into play Sunday afternoon, the Miami Heat star has played in 36 of the team's 41 games, and is averaging 20.3 points, 7 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.
Butler has been a defensive stalwart, averaging 1.9 steals per game.
Heat predicted lineup
Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Myers Leonard
San Antonio Spurs Preview
The 2019-20 season could be the first non-playoff year for the San Antonio Spurs since they missed the 1997 playoffs. The Spurs are ninth in the NBA's Western Conference with a 17-23 record this season.
Friday night they lost a heartbreaker to the Atlanta Hawks. The Spurs had a four-point lead with less than a minute to play, but a runner by Atlanta's Trae Young and a three-pointer by Kevin Huerter went unanswered and they ended up losing 121-120.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points, Dejounte Murray produced a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan just missed a triple-double with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists.
Key Player: DeMar DeRozan
While the San Antonio Spurs have struggled as a team, DeMar DeRozan has had a strong individual season. He is averaging 22.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.
Not only is DeRozan the Spurs' offensive leader, he is one of five players from the team to play all 40 games this season.
Spurs predicted lineup
Bryn Forbes, Dejounte Murray, Trey Lyles, DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge
Heat vs Spurs Match Prediction
The Miami Heat are on a two-game winning streak but are just 11-11 on the road. However, their last win - Friday night against the Thunder - was a road victory. The Heat are 2-2 in their last four games, each being decided by three or fewer possessions.
On Wednesday, in Miami, the Heat beat the Spurs 106-100, so the latter may be out for retribution.
In Miami, DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points for the Spurs during the six-point loss. He will need to dominate the game in San Antonio for the Spurs to have any chance of winning.
The Spurs are seventh in three-point percentage at 36.5. DeRozan and Aldridge combine to take just 3.4 three-point shots a game, even though they account for 31 shots on average.
This should be another close affair between the Spurs and Heat, but expect the Spurs to secure a home victory.
Where to watch Heat vs Spurs?
You can stream the game live online with NBA League Pass. The game can be watched on TV on Fox Sports - South West and Sun.