Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat – Game #51
Keldon Johnson and the Spurs will try to beat the Heat (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs begin this season’s Rodeo Road Trip with a game in Miami against the Heat. The Spurs will play nine consecutive games on the road. Five of the games are before the All-Star Break and, after a week off, there will be four games after the break.
After tonight’s game against the Heat, the Spurs stay in Florida for a back-to-back affair against the Orlando Magic tomorrow. The Spurs lost to the Magic a week ago in San Antonio by a final score of 108-98.
This will be the second and final game between the Spurs and Heat this season. Back on Nov. 12, the Heat defeated the Spurs in San Antonio, 118-113. In that game, Keldon Johnson led the way for the Spurs with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. The Heat got 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals from Bam Adebayo in that contest.
Heading into tonight’s game, the Spurs have a record of 10-40, which has them in last place in the Western Conference. The Heat, with a record of 27-24, are tied with the Magic for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
Following a break in the action, the Spurs don’t have any injuries to report. That should mean that the coaches will stick with their recent starting lineup of Tre Jones at point guard, Devin Vassell at shooting guard, Julian Champagnie at small forward, Jeremy Sochan at power forward and Victor Wembanyama at center.
Off the bench, expect head coach Gregg Popovich to use Blake Wesley, Zach Collins, Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman. It’s also possible that Malaki Branham could be in the rotation. Additionally, it’s not out of the question that Dominick Barlow could replace Collins as the team’s backup center.
A Closer Look at the 2023-24 Rodeo Road Trip
The Rodeo Road Trip begins with back-to-back games against the Heat and Magic. After that, the Spurs face a pair of Eastern Conference teams in the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors. In the final game before the All-Star Break, the Spurs take on the Dallas Mavericks on Valentine’s Day.
On Feb. 22, San Antonio resumes the Rodeo Road Trip in California with back-to-back games against the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers. The trip ends with two Western Conference opponents: the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Betting Guide: Spurs vs. Heat
The Heat are favored by eight points and the over/under is 227 points. The smart money is on the Heat. The Spurs haven’t played well recently and have looked tired. Adding to that, the Heat have enough veteran savvy to give these youthful Spurs trouble.