Magic vs. Heat Pick
Do the injury-riddled Orlando Magic stand a chance tonight when they play at the Miami Heat at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Heat are a 7.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is 205 points.
Orlando enters with a 11-23 overall record and 12-21-1 ATS after a 130-103 loss at the Wizards. Miami is 17-16 overall and 13-18-2 ATS following a 109-94 home loss to the Pelicans. The Magic won the season’s first meeting 116-109 in Orlando on Oct. 18. The Magic are 4-1 straight up and 4-1 ATS in five meetings since the start of last season.
The Magic lost center Nikola Vucevic for 6-to-8 weeks with a broken left hand in the loss at Washington. Elfrid Payton led the way with 30 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and four steals. Mario Hezonja contributed 16 points, four rebounds and three steals. Jonathon Simmons added 14 points and four boards. Orlando trailed 72-38 at halftime.
Tyler Johnson paced the Heat with 20 points, three rebounds and two steals in the loss to New Orleans. Goran Dragic had 13 points, four boards and two assists. Wayne Ellington added 13 points and three rebounds off the bench. Miami trailed by three at halftime and was outscored 27-16 in the third quarter.
Orlando is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings. The over is 6-1 in the last seven meetings.
The Magic have been ravaged by injuries, with Vucevic becoming the latest. With Aaron Gordon out, Vucevic had been putting up monster numbers despite the team’s struggles. Gordon and shooting guard Evan Fournier are listed as questionable tonight, but it’s hard to imagine they’ll see the floor. Miami has also dealt with injuries as of late, with Dion Waiters and James Johnson both being out. Hassan Whiteside has also missed the last month. But Dragic is back from a minor injury and fellow guards Josh Richardson and Johnson are playing well right now. I have to take Miami winning a one-sided game tonight.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: MIAMI HEAT -7.5