It’s an interconference matchup on the hardwood as a pair of teams looking to improve after slow starts to the year meet on a neutral floor south of the border. The Miami Heat are on the road as they make the trip to face the San Antonio Spurs in a game that takes place in Mexico City. Miami comes in off a 111-108 road win over Houston Thursday night in the second game of a back-to-back situation though they pushed against the spread as a three-point favorite. San Antonio was outgunned 128-112 at home by Portland, failing to cover as a seven-point underdog, in their previous game Thursday night. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Spurs own a 45-25 advantage and won the first meeting this season, 115-111, on the road back on December 10.

Miami Heat Looking to Push Past Break-Even Mark
Miami won their third straight as they won both games of a back-to-back set on the road by edging Houston Thursday night. The Heat got to the .500 mark on the season as they improved to 15-15, pushing them to the top spot in the Southeast Division by half a game over the Hawks entering Friday. Against Houston, Miami was even after the opening quarter before outscoring the Rockets 37-23 in the second to take a 14-point halftime edge. The Heat saw their lead sliced to one after three quarters, pushed their lead back to 12 with five minutes to play and survived as they went scoreless the rest of the way. Miami shot 44.3% from the field, including 16 of 47 from three-point range, and overcame a 51-40 beating on the glass. Tyler Herro led the Heat with a career-high 41 points in the win.
The Heat enters this one 29th in the league in scoring offense with 108 points per game this season. Miami is 27th in the league in rebounding with 41.2 boards a contest while the team stands 21st in assists by dishing out 23.7 dimes a night. The Heat stands 5th in the league in scoring defense as they allow 109.2 points per game. Jimmy Butler leads the team with 21.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and six assists per contest. Tyler Herro kicks in 21.2 points plus 6.3 boards a night while Bam Adebayo chips in 20.6 points plus 9.7 rebounds per contest. Duncan Robinson, Kyle Lowry (14 points, 5.9 assists), Dewayne Dedmon, Max Strus (13.5 points), Caleb Martin (11.1 points, 4.7 boards), Victor Oladipo and Gabe Vincent are solid role players for the Heat. Miami is 27th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 45% from the floor this season. The Heat stands 11th in threes per game by draining 12.4 triples per contest and the team is 21st in three-point shooting by hitting 34.2% from beyond the arc.

Vincent (knee) has been ruled out for this contest. Adebayo (ankle), Dedmon (foot), Haslem (Achilles), Lowry (knee) and Martin are all questionable for this game. Watch for updates on their statuses for this game.

San Antonio Spurs Going for Season Sweep
San Antonio saw their three-game win streak snapped as they were knocked off at home by Portland in their previous contest. The Spurs dropped to 9-19 on the year and entered Friday tied for the basement of the Southwest Division with Houston, 10 games behind New Orleans for the top spot. Against Portland, San Antonio was down 11 after the opening quarter and failed to get back to even despite their best efforts. The Spurs were down 16 at the half and couldn’t get closer than four in the second half of the game. San Antonio shot 46.4% from the field, including 11 of 29 from three-point range, but let Portland shoot a scorching 60.5% in the game. Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 25 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
For the year, the Spurs are 27th in the league in scoring offense as they average 110.2 points per game on the year. San Antonio is 24th in rebounding by grabbing 42.6 boards a night while they are fourth in the league in assists by handing out 27.3 dimes per contest. The Spurs are 30th in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 120.4 points per game. Keldon Johnson leads the team with 21 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season. Devin Vassell (19.9 points), Jakob Poeltl (12.9 points, 9.9 boards), Tre Jones (12.6 points, 6.6 assists), Josh Richardson (10.7 points) and Doug McDermott (10.5 points) each are valuable secondary options. Zach Collins, Keita Bates-Diop, Blake Wesley, Jeremy Sochan, Romeo Langford, Charles Bassey, Isaiah Roby and Gorgui Dieng are other rotation pieces for coach Gregg Popovich. San Antonio is 19th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 46.3% from the floor on the year. The Spurs are 20th in threes per game as they connect on 11.4 triples a night while they are 23rd in three-point percentage by shooting 34% from beyond the arc.

Wesley (knee) was assigned to the Spurs’ G League team in Austin this week as he works back from a Grade 3 MCL sprain so he’s out for this contest. Richardson (personal) has been ruled out for this game as well. Langford (ankle) is questionable so watch for any updates on his status.