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The NBA regular season continues with games on Friday. The Miami Heat will hit the road and take on the Orlando Magic. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Heat-Magic prediction and pick.
These two teams have been having very different seasons. The Miami Heat come into this game with a record of 17-12 and are coming off a very solid win. While the Orlando Magic have a record of 5-24 and have lost their last six games. This should be an interesting matchup.
Here are the odds for the Heat-Magic Friday night NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Heat-Magic Odds
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Miami Heat: -7.5 (-110)
Orlando Magic: +7.5 (-110)
Over: 204.5 (-110)
Under: 204.5 (-110)
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
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The Miami Heat have been having a solid season. Through their first 29 games they have 17 wins and 12 losses. The Heat are coming off a 5 point win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami looked great in that win and will look to carry that same energy and momentum into Friday's matchup. The Heat have been competitive this season, yet have suffered some disappointing losses. They are the better team in this game and should be able to steal the win on the road. If Miami can build on their last game and keep playing competitive basketball then they should be able to dominate.
In their win over the Sixers the Heat had the edge in nearly every category. The Heat and the Sixers both made 35 shots in that game, yet the Heat out shot Philly from the three. Miami went 18 for 44 from beyond the arc while the Sixers only made 12 of 37 attempts. The Heat out rebounded Philly by 9, including 9 offensive boards compared to the Sixers 4. Assists were basically even, yet where Miami struggled was in turnovers. The Heat had 5 more turnovers than the Sixers, which ended up making this game closer than it should have been. If Miami can play the same level of basketball as they did in that game and take better care of the ball, then they should have no problem dominating a crippled Magic team.
While this Heat team has suffered many injuries, they still have enough of a core team to be competitive and win games. Two players that have helped Miami win games have been Duncan Robinson and Kyle Lowry. Robinson had 21 points and 8 rebounds in 39 minutes against the Sixers. Lowry also played 39 minutes and scored 14 points, dished out 5 assists, and grabbed 6 boards. These two players have stepped up in the wake of the Heat's injuries and will be called upon again on Friday. If they can continue to play solid basketball, then this Heat team should remain competitive.
Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread
The Orlando Magic have been one of the worst teams in the NBA. Through their first 29 games they only have 5 wins and a horrendous 24 losses. The Magic have lost their last six games, with their most recent loss coming by 12 against the Hawks. Orlando will be looking to turn things around on Friday, but that will likely prove to be a difficult task. The Magic have been crippled with injuries and players in COVID-19 protocols. If Orlando wants to win this game they will need the rest of their team to really step things up.
In the Magic's loss to the Hawks they fell short in a few key statistics. The Magic only made 38.9% of their 90 shot attempts, while the Hawks made 49.4% of their 85 shots. Atlanta also managed to make one more three than Orlando on four less attempts. However, the Magic did have the edge in rebounding, grabbing 6 more boards than the Hawks. This game was somewhat competitive, yet the Magic really need to step things up on Friday if they want to take down the Heat. Orlando needs to be taking better shots and they need to capitalize on their opponents mistakes. While it may be a big ask for the Magic to win on Friday, it's not impossible.
One of the biggest things standing in the way of the Magic's success on Friday is injuries and COVID. The Magic will be without Moritz Wagner, Terrence Ross, RJ Hampton, and Ignas Brazdeikis on Friday. This means that the Magic will be leaning heavily on their bench and other players to step up. RJ Hampton, Moe Wagner, and Terrence Ross were the three leading scorers on the Magic in their loss to the Hawks. The next top scorer for Orlando was Franz Wagner, who will be playing on Friday. Orlando has a very difficult task ahead of them.
Final Heat-Magic Prediction & Pick
This is an easy pick. The Orlando Magic have been absolutely crippled by COVID. While the Heat will be without some players too, they have enough of their core to win this game by a wide margin. Pick the Heat to win and cover.
FINAL HEAT-MAGIC PICK: Miami Heat -7.5 (-110)
FINAL HEAT-MAGIC SCORE PREDICTION: Heat 105 – Magic 93
