Orlando Magic vs Miami Heat Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 20/01/2024, 19:57  by Joseph King | Modified on 21/01/2024 at 10:00 in NBA Prediction

A Florida rivalry is renewed when the Orlando Magic host the Miami Heat on Sunday evening in the Association. A recent dry spell for the Magic sees them plummeting down the Eastern Conference standings. They’re just above .500 with a record of 22 wins and 20 losses, placing them eighth. Orlando has now lost five of the last six following a 124-109 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. A big reason for their struggles has been the absence of Franz Wagner who is the team’s second leading scorer at 20.9 points per game. Wagner has missed the team’s last nine games where the Magic have posted just a 3-6 record. Orlando was already a team that had their struggles on the offensive side as they have relied on a top defense throughout the year to get wins.

The Miami Heat will be looking to put a stop to a two-game losing streak after defeats to the Raptors and Hawks. The latter, which was also the most recent, was particularly disappointing as the Heat were leading by four points with 35 seconds left in the game. However a ridiculous Dejounte Murray pull-up three with two seconds left on the clock would ultimately give Atlanta a 109-108 win. The loss moves the Heat’s record to 24-18 on the season and places them sixth in the East standings. This has Miami trailing leaders Boston by eight games with roughly half the season left to play. The visitors saw a solid contribution from their ‘big-three’ with Butler, Adebayo and Herro all bagging over 20 points. Support from their role players was hard to come by, however, as only two other players managed to score over 10 points.