NBA: Miami Heat at Houston Rockets
LeBron James finished with 22 points (9/18 FG, 0/3 3FG, 4/6 FT), 6 assists and 3 steals versus the Rockets. Reuters

The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs meet in a marquee match-up on Thursday night for the second meeting this season between last year’s NBA finalists. The Heat got one in Miami in the first meeting with a convincing 113-101 victory and the Spurs want to return the favor when their nemesis visits Texas.

The Spurs-Heat match-up on January 26 was a high-scoring affair with both teams shooting above 50 per cent from the field. Miami built an 8-point halftime lead and never looked back led by Chris Bosh’s 24 points. LeBron James had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and six other Heat players scored with 8 points or more. Tim Duncan finished with 23 points but only had 3 boards and Tony Parker was limited to 11 points in the loss.

The Spurs have lost just 3 games and notched 11 wins in February to retain their status as one of West's best. The Heat are 11-2 this month.

Entering the match-up with Miami, San Antonio (44-16) is just one and a half games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (46-15). Similarly, Miami (43-15) is also one and a half games behind the Indiana Pacers (46-15) for the East’s top spot.

The Spurs are coming off a 122-101 at Cleveland last Tuesday behind Danny Green, who top-scored with 24 points hitting three 3-pointers. The Spurs bench had a huge contribution as well with 58 markers including 16 points apiece from Boris Diaw and Patty Mills.

Meanwhile, the Heat couldn’t handle the Houston Rockets in their last outing losing 106-103. James only had 22 points a day after he scored a career-high 61 against the Charlotte Bobcats. Michael Beasley added 24 points and 4 rebounds for Miami, which had their eight-game winning streak snapped by the Rockets.

Watch the Heat and Spurs slug it out via NBA League Pass.

Betting Lines: Miami Heat (+2.5) vs. San Antonio Spurs (O/U: 209.0)
 Game time: 11:00 am AEDT

Miami Heat Trends
 - The Heat are 6-1-2 ATS in their last 9 games
- The Heat are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games on the road
- The Heat are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. West teams

San Antonio Spurs Trends
 - The Spurs are 38-16-1 ATS in their last 55 games vs. Southeast teams
- The Spurs are 47-23-1 ATS in their last 71 games vs. East teams
- The Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games at home