The 2024-25 Miami Heat are in an interesting position. They’ve made the Conference Finals in two of the last three seasons. Once as the one seed in the East and once as the eighth seed. After losing the 2023 NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets, they followed it up with a first-round exit in last year’s playoffs to the eventual champion Boston Celtics. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have done their best Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal impression, but some are thinking they’ve taken the Heat as far as they can go. This NBA preseason preview will look at the Miami Heat odds for their 2024-25 win total and see what NBA bets are worth taking.
2024-25 NBA Betting Preview: Miami Heat Win Total Odds
*All 2024-25 NBA Season Betting Odds are courtesy of FanDuel.com*
Miami Heat Odds History
It’s hard to predict what will happen with the Miami Heat. They made the NBA Finals when nobody expected them to. They also went way under their projected total of 49.5 wins that same season. They’ve gone 2-2 on their over/under in the last four years switching off each season.
Miami Heat odds and win total are set at 44.5 wins this season. It’s their lowest win total prediction since the 2020-2021 season. The Heat is running things back with the same core, one that has the potential to exceed this line easily. That being said, the rest of the Eastern Conference may be improving faster than the aging Heat stars can keep up with.
Miami Heat assistant coach Caron Butler gave extremely high praise to Bam Adebayo & said that he should be a Defensive Player of the Year winner by now:
“When you talk about versatility, when you talk about two-way defenders, it’s a crime that he hasn’t won Defensive Player of… pic.twitter.com/gkKEZDTMlK
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) September 11, 2024
Offseason Changes
The Heat’s offseason included both additions and departures. Alec Burks joined the team, and Kel’el Ware was selected in the first round of the NBA draft. Meanwhile, Caleb Martin signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Patty Mills joined the Utah Jazz. None of the changes seem drastic, but the team could feel quite different this season.
Tyler Herro missed half the season with injuries, and Terry Rozier only joined the team during the trade deadline, never fully getting in rhythm. They are likely to team up as the backcourt in Miami this season. If Rozier can return to the way he was playing in Charlotte before he was traded, the Miami Heat odds will be exceeded. Herro’s return is also essential to the Heat reaching their full potential this season. Both Rozier and Herro will add more playmaking to the Heat roster that needs it.
Zach Lowe bets Miami circles back on Dame if the Bucks struggle
“The move would be Dame. I bet you Miami would revisit the failed Dame talks. You need to recoup some draft picks, Herro, whatever fake Dame trade you want to speculate about”
This is a never ending cycle 😭
(Via… pic.twitter.com/UppmL5j5KB
— Emo Jimmy (@HeatCulture13) September 19, 2024
Health is Hampering Heat
The Heat roster made some solid improvements this offseason, but as usual, their health is a concern. Despite finishing the regular season in the same position as the previous year, a series of setbacks for Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro significantly hindered their performance.
This season will be a similar story. If the Heat’s best players can play a significant amount of games, they will be right in the mix at the top of the Eastern Conference. If key players miss time again, they will struggle to hit their Miami Heat odds win total and will likely just barely make the playoffs. Although the win total prediction is a bit low, this could be the season the Heat finally take a step back.
