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Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic Prediction NBA Picks 12/21/24
Pick details
Orlando Magic (17-12) vs Miami Heat (13-11)
December 21, 2024 at 07:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Orlando Magic -2.5— Over/Under: 210.5
The Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic collide at the Kia Center on Saturday night. Here’s a Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic Prediction. This article will include a Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic Pick.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat have been in decent shape as they’ve split their last eight games overall, but they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after getting beaten by the Thunder in a 104-97 home defeat last night. Tyler Herro led the team with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, Bam Adebayo added 17 points with 10 rebounds while Duncan Robinson chipped in with 13 points and six assists. As a team, the Heat shot 43 percent from the field and 12 of 40 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep pace from the start, falling behind by 12 points in the third quarter before they made a bit of a run in the fourth quarter to make it competitive at the end. Jimmy Butler played just seven minutes before leaving the game. The Heat will take on the Nets after this game.
Orlando MagicÂ
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic have been doing it tough as they’ve lost five of their last seven games overall and they will be hoping to avoid a fourth straight defeat after getting beaten by the Thunder in a 105-99 loss on Thursday. Anthony Black led the team with 23 points off the bench, Tristan da Silva and Goga Bitadze each scored 15 points while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in with 11 points and five assists. As a team, the Magic shot 44 percent from the field and 11 of 35 from the 3-point line as they got off to a poor start and quickly found themselves trailing by 23 points before they rallied in the second half to make it interesting at the end. Jalen Suggs had a quiet game of just nine points on four of 10 shooting before leaving the game with an ankle sprain. The Magic will play against the Celtics following this one.
Why the Miami Heat will win
- The Heat have won five of their last seven games as road underdogs against the Magic.
- The Magic have lost each of their last four night games against Eastern Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- The Heat have covered the spread in five of their last six night games against Magic teams that held a winning record.
- The Magic have failed to cover the spread in four of their last five games against Eastern Conference opponents that held a winning record.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the Magic’s last four home night games following a home loss has gone UNDER the total points line.
- Nine of the Heat’s last 11 games on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone UNDER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Magic rank 1st in the league for blocks per game this season (6.8).
- The Magic rank 30th in the league for three-point percentage this season (30.9%).
- The Heat rank 2nd in the league for opponent free throw attempts per game this season (18.2).
- The Heat rank 29th in the league for Q1 win percentage this season (25.0%).
Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic Prediction
The Heat are still slightly shorthanded with Josh Richardson still out, while the Magic are still missing Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Heat have been a little below their best lately and they are coming into this one fresh off a tough loss to the Thunder last night, but it’s hard to back the Magic who have looked so vulnerable since losing their second-leading scorer along with their top leading scorer. The Heat haven’t been a reliable team this season, but they represent decent value as the underdogs in this spot, so I am going with the Heat for the value bet.
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