The Miami Heat get set to tangle against the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night inside the Kayesa Center in Miami, Florida. They tip it off at 7:30 pm for an early start time. This used to be a fun game to watch years ago between two of the league's best franchises. Now, Miami is trying to stay above water and the Spurs are in the midst of a total rebuild.  Bookmaker has installed the Heat as a solid 8-point favorite. 

The Heat still have some veteran players on their roster but they have not been able to go on a nice little run this season. They are a team that has some scorers and they can easily put up 20 plus a night, but they really lack depth at some key positions. 

If they can figure out a way to play better defense, especially in the 2^nd half of games they can close some games out. They have had issues finishing off teams and that is reflected in their average record at this point of the season. 

Jimmy Butler might be getting older but he can still score with the best of them. He is netting over 21 a game for the season and is one of the proven veterans on the team that is not afraid to take the big-time shot in the fourth quarter when the game is on the line. 

Miami connects from around 51% from the floor, including 37% from beyond the arc. They should be able to push the pace against a team that does not score a ton of points in the Spurs, who also have issues defending the paint. 

The Spurs are in the midst of a rebuild and it is evident this season was going to be an ugly one. They are seeing what players they can move forward with and build around and they have at least one of those questions answered in the form of center Victor Wembanyama, who is averaging 20 points as a rookie and is still green and raw. 

San Antonio believes he is their franchise player for the next decade-plus and will likely get another high draft pick to add into the mix. Shooting guard Devin Vassell is a player they will keep around as well. The 23-year-old product out of Florida State has played well this season and he has given them a young floor general who is averaging around 18 points a game to go along with just under four assists per contest. 

The Spurs are not the best shooting team in the league but they like to get some easy buckets in the paint. Look for them to get the ball inside and push the tempo to allow Vassell and Wembanyama to do what they do best -- get out on the open floor and make plays. 

The Spurs as we mentioned have had issues defending the paint and this is where they will be exploited. Unless, Wembanyama can be the rim protector that the Spurs believe he can be. 

Miami is 2-3 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number too. They are 12-11 in their road games against the spread too. The totals have gone over in one of their last five games too. The Spurs are 1-4 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number. They are a solid 12-12 in their road games against the number too. The totals have gone over in none of their last five games.