The Toronto Raptors look to end a recent slide on the road in South Beach against the Miami Heat.
The latest: Just last week, the Raptors beat the Heat in Miami as 5-point underdogs. Still, Toronto is just 2-6 in its past eight and has slid into the mediocre middle of the NBA’s Eastern Conference. On Tuesday night, the Raps are 5.5-point dogs.
Check out my Raptors vs. Heat prop bets for Dec. 23, featuring predictions on Kel’el Ware and Scottie Barnes.
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Raptors vs. Heat prop bets Dec. 23
Best bet: Ware over 12.5 rebounds (-118)
I don’t understand the Heat’s lineup decisions for Ware, who has bounced in and out of the starting rotation throughout the season. But I think he’s earned an extended run as a starter moving forward.
The second-year centre has started in 19 of 29 games, including each of the past three. And the results were excellent:
- Dec. 18: 30 min, 22 pts, 12 reb
- Dec. 19: 28 min, 24 pts, 14 reb
- Dec. 21: 34 min, 28 pts, 19 reb
It’s worth noting that Bam Adebayo played in all three of those games, so it’s not as if Ware is just benefiting from a fellow big man’s absence.
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But speaking of absences, Ware should prosper from the fact that Jakob Poeltl (back) is out tonight for Toronto.
Poeltl is the only Raptor who’s taller than 6-foot-9 and heavier than 240 pounds, and his lack of size will leave more rebounding opportunities for Ware.
As mentioned, Ware has had some inconsistencies this year moving in and out of Miami’s starting lineup. But the last time he received an extended look as a starter, the results spoke for themselves.
From Nov. 7-24, Ware started in nine of 10 games for the Heat. He went 7-3 vs. this prop while averaging 13.9 RPG.
Key stat: Ware had 13 rebounds against the Raptors in just 19:20 off the bench on Dec. 15.
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Raptors picks and predictions
Barnes under 19.5 points (-118): This under is 19-11 this season for Barnes, who’s averaging 19.1 PPG.
In other words, he’s generally a strong fade candidate at this number. And he’s slumping right now, which bolsters my case.
- Barnes has gone under 19.5 points in six of his past seven games. He’s averaging 14.7 PPG and shooting 44.0% from the field in that span.
- One notable aspect is Barnes’ 3-point shooting. He’s only 6-for-27 (22.2%) from deep in his past seven games.
- Prior to that, he’d shot 41.5% from 3-point range over his first 23 games.
-> Check out Barnes’ full prop markets vs. the Heat!
Miami has really locked things up defensively in recent weeks, ranking fifth in the NBA in defensive rating over its past 15 games.
This isn’t a team Barnes is going to enjoy running into amid a slump.
Raptors vs. Heat prop bets made at 11:33 a.m. ET on Dec. 23, 2025.
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Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.