Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors Prediction, 12/18/2020 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors

Date: Friday, December 18, 2020

Location: Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, FL

TV: NBA League Pass

Odds/Point Spread: Miami (-2)

Tampa Bay Times Forum is the venue where and the Toronto Raptors (53-19 last year) will take on the Miami Heat (44-29 last season) on Friday. The spread on this game has Miami as 2-point favorites. The total has been set at 220.

Miami will enter this contest after finishing with a mark of 44-29 last season. They lost possession via turnover 14.9 times per contest and as a group committed 20.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a group, Miami collected 44.4 boards per contest and racked up 1,892 assists last season, which was 5th in the league in terms of passing. The Heat connected on 37.9% on three-point attempts (979 of 2,584) and 78.3% from the charity stripe. They had an average of 112.0 pts per game (15th in the NBA) while shooting 46.8% from the field. On the defensive end of the court, the Heat forced 14.0 turnovers per game while drawing 21.7 personal fouls. They were 21st in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,794 conceded throughout last season. The Heat defensively gave up a FG percentage of 44.8% (2,831 of 6,326) and they surrendered 42.5 boards per game as a squad. They gave up 34.7% from beyond the arc and they were ranked 10th in the league in PPG from their opponents (109.1).

The Miami Heat stepped onto the hardwood against the New Orleans Pelicans and ended up losing by a score of 114-92 in their last preseason game. Miami wrapped up the contest with a 42.7% field goal percentage (35 out of 82) and made 13 out of their 46 3-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Heat knocked down 9 of 11 attempts for a rate of 81.8%. When it comes to rebounding, they earned 35 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 26 assists for the matchup while getting 5 steals and 4 blocked shots. Regarding defense, Miami allowed the other team to shoot 44.7% from the floor on 38 of 85. New Orleans doled out 20 assists and 9 steals in the game. On top of that, the Pelicans grabbed 51 rebounds (15 offensive, 36 defensive) and added 3 blocked shots. New Orleans finished 83.9% from the free throw line by making 26 of their 31 shots. They also knocked down 12 of their 38 attempts from distance.

Toronto had a mark of 53-19 last year. The Raptors committed 21.7 personal fouls every game and they hit 79.6% from the charity stripe. They dished out assists 25.2 times per game (11th in the NBA) and they lost possession by turning the ball over 14.8 times per contest. Toronto scored 8,118 pts over the course of last season (112.8 per game) and they grabbed 45.4 boards per game. As an offensive team, the Raptors connected on 45.8% from the floor, which ranked them 20th in basketball. The Raptors on the defensive side of the court were 1st in the league in PPG given up with 106.5. They gave up 25.6 dimes and 46.1 total rebounds per game, which was ranked 26th and 24th in those defensive categories. The Toronto defense conceded 33.7% on shots from beyond the arc (943 of 2,798) and opponents made 76.9% of their free throw shots. They forced their opponents into 16.8 TO's every game and allowed teams to shoot 42.8% from the field (2nd in the NBA).

The last time they took the court this preseason, the Toronto Raptors took a defeat with a final score of 112-109 against the Charlotte Hornets. The Raptors were able to pull down 30 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 in the matchup. They also rejected 3 attempts while earning 13 steals for the game. The Hornets committed 26 fouls in this matchup which took the Raptors to the charity stripe for 23 shots. They were able to make 17 of the free throws for a percentage of 73.9%. In terms of 3-pointers, Toronto made 15 of 44 tries (34.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Raptors finished shooting 40 out of 84 from the floor which had them at 47.6%. The Raptors permitted the Hornets to make 37 out of their 81 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 45.7% for this game. They went 33.3% from three-point range by hitting 12 out of 36 and ended up going 23 of 32 at the free throw line (71.9%). Regarding rebounds, Toronto allowed Charlotte to snag 38 in total (8 on the offensive glass).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Toronto (+2)

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