Heat vs. Magic Pick
Will the Miami Heat have any trouble when it goes on the road to face the Orlando Magic tonight at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Heat are the favorite on the road, as Miami is getting odds of -3.5 points against the Magic. The over/under total for the game is listed at 209.5 points. These two have met three times this season and the road team has won and covered the spread in all three games.
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Miami has won four of its last five games to get to 28-33 on the season. The Heat are a game out of the eighth seed in the East right now. Miami is 35-25-1 against the spread this season, covering in four of their last five games as well. Miami is averaging and allowing 102 points per game this season. The Heat are putting up just 99.1 points per game on offense when on the road. Miami has plenty of injuries on their roster, but Goran Dragic is healthy and averaging 20.2 points and 6.1 assists per game. Hassan Whiteside is averaging 16.6 points and 14.1 rebounds per game, but he is battling an illness that has him questionable to play.
Orlando is coming off a 101-90 loss to the Knicks for its third loss in for games. The Magic are now 22-39 overall on the season and 24-36-1 against the spread. Orlando has struggled on offense, putting up 99.5 points per game this season. Defensively they allow 105.8 points per contest. When at home, Orlando’s offensive average dips to 97.2 while allowing just 102.5. Evan Fournier has been leading the team with 16.7 points and 3.3 assists per game. Nikola Vucevic is adding 14.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Vucevic is dealing with a quad injury, but is probable to play.
The Magic don’t have much to play for, but their young roster should still be motivated to win at home. Miami has an injury list a mile long. While many of the guys are expected to play, some are battling an illness, which should impact their cardio for this game. I think the Heat will look a step slow tonight and that opens the door for Orlando to win.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: ORLANDO MAGIC +3.5