Both the Suns and the Heat will be playing their 40th game of the season tonight, so I think it’s safe to say we’re now at the halfway point. I think it’s also safe to say that no team in the NBA has been more of a pleasant surprise than Phoenix.
Many left the Suns for dead after a horrendous end to the Kevin Durant era in the desert. However, with a win in nine of its last 11 games, Phoenix is 24-15 and sitting comfortably in sixth place in the Western Conference. The Suns rank top 10 in the league in net rating, as well (+2.7).
Can the good times keep rolling for Phoenix on Tuesday night? Let’s preview this game with the help of some of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Suns at Heat prediction, preview
The biggest piece of injury news hanging over this contest is Norman Powell, who is questionable to suit up with a back issue. Powell was unavailable for Sunday’s loss to the Thunder and has missed six games in 2025-26. In essence, that’s sort of been the defining storyline of Miami’s underwhelming campaign. Powell’s been amazing when available, averaging a career-high 23.8 points per game, but he’s often needed to operate as the Heat’s No. 1 offensive option due to a variety of different ailments. In fact, Powell, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have only logged 95 minutes together through the first three months of the regular season. Miami’s outscored its competition by 6.7 points per 100 possessions in that all too small sample.
Still, its not like the Suns haven’t had their own injury woes. Former second-overall pick Jalen Green, who was thought to be the key returning piece from Houston in the Durant trade, has only appeared in two games in 2025-26. However, that’s opened the door for Dillon Brooks to be the Robin to Devin Booker’s Batman. I swear, it’s gone so much better than that sounds. The oft maligned Brooks has embraced his larger role, seeing a career-high 17.1 field goal attempts per night with a massive 28.2% usage rate. That’s translated into Brooks averaging 21.2 points per game on 45.6% shooting — yet another career-best mark.
Collin Gillespie and Mark Williams have also been crucial in Phoenix’s surprising success this season. Gillespie’s numbers have started to fall off a bit in January, with the point guard producing only 8.7 points and 3.7 assists per contest with a .455 true shooting percentage, yet for the season as a whole, the Suns’ offensive rating has been 6.2 points per 100 possessions better with the 26-year-old on the court. Gillespie went 0-for-6 from the floor in Sunday’s victory over the Wizards, and he’ll be looking to get back on track this evening.
Suns at Heat pick, best bet
Best Bet: Under 230.5 (-110)
Taking this under is heavily predicated on recent form. Since January 1, the Suns boast the NBA’s third-best defensive rating (102.9). On the other side, the Heat have struggled to score the basketball in 2026, possessing the league’s worst offensive rating (103.0). Seems like the formula for a low-scoring game — even with Miami’s elite pace.
