It is an all-Florida, Eastern Conference matchup on Sunday between the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic and we have picks and predictions.
The red-hot Heat stay in Florida after beating Chicago on Friday and despite this being a road game, playing at Amway Center holds no fears.
Online betting markets aren’t giving Orlando much chance to beat the Heat. However, it was only an eight-point game when they last met.
We wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar contest and anything can happen on NBA Sunday.
Bettors Rewarded For Patience
Fans and bettors of the Miami Heat are being rewarded for showing patience. The Heat got off to an awful start but have nine wins from their last 10 games.
Recent wins over Utah, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Orlando have helped the Heat get to 20-18, which didn’t seem realistic a month ago. It has been a significant turnaround for Miami, which was struggling mightily at 7-13.
Bettors have been able to cash in on Miami, but the online sportsbook has adjusted lines. Miami will no longer pay better than even money to beat teams like Orlando, but it was nice while it lasted.
Value is available due to Bam Adebayo’s injury. At this stage, Adebayo is likely to miss this game. He is a big loss for the Heat, given that he leads in all three major statistical categories.
Taking away 19.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists is a big talking point. If Adebayo doesn’t play, Miami will likely play from behind the three-point line, which plays into Orlando’s hands.
Orlando In A Funk
Losing seven consecutive games isn’t easy to do, but Orlando is making it look easy. The Magic aren’t living up to their name and injuries have caught up to them.
Players currently on the injury report are Cole Anthony, James Ennis III, Terrence Ross, Evan Fournier, and Aaron Gordon. That is a large chunk of the salary cap and Nikola Vucevic can’t do everything by himself.
Vucevic’s numbers have benefited from his teammates’ absence, but it’s not helping the win/loss record. He is averaging 24.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, and we’re not surprised the assists tally is on the low side.
The center doesn’t have noted shooters to pass to, which is why the Orlando Magic are struggling to break the losing streak. It comes off a dismal effort against San Antonio, scoring just 77 points with a 36.3% shooting clip.
The Magic were held to under 14 points in two of the four quarters. Vucevic had 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting, but the next best player for the Magic was Dwayne Bacon with 15 points.
It didn’t help that Michael Carter Williams had only five points. He will be needed to play much better with many of his teammates on the sidelines.
What Happened Last Time
Miami and Orlando have played twice and it’s tied up at 1-1. The Magic scored a 113-107 win before Miami squared the ledger with a 111-103 win on Thursday.
Jimmy Butler stepped up in the absence of Adebayo with 27 points. He got to the line 13 times and being aggressive led to the Heat winning.
Both teams shot above 40% from the field, but with 14 turnovers from Orlando, that’s where the game was won and lost.
If the Magic can keep their hands on the ball, the eight-point margin could be trimmed.
Another notable difference was in the scoring department, which saw Miami with five double-figure scorers. Orlando had only three, so there is a big discrepancy in the depth of both squads.
Miami runs deep and when bench players can give good minutes, it makes a huge difference.
Game Pick
NBA odds suggest Miami will run away with this game and it’s tough to disagree.
Not only are the Heat playing exceptional basketball on either side of the All-Star break, but Orlando’s confidence has been shot by the recent losing streak.
The Magic are also bogged down by injuries to key players, and although the Heat could be without Bam Adebayo, they are a deep NBA team.
We expect the Heat to come firing out of the starting blocks and put up a big first-quarter lead. It will force Orlando into making turnovers and this game could get messy in the second half.
Pick: Heat 119, Magic 102
