Southeast rivals Miami and Orlando will meet for the first time this season later tonight when they lock horns at the Amway Center. This evening’s divisional battle is scheduled for a 7:00pm ET tip; it will not, however, be broadcast nationally. The latest NBA Predictions have the visiting Heat listed as a -3.5 against the spread favorite and the game total set at 191 points.
The Heat have a firm grip on the top spot in the Southeast Division, but their margin for error is still slim with both the Hawks and Magic close behind. Fortunately for Miami, neither of those two squads has played all that well of late while LeBron James and his cohorts have surged.
The Heat, winners in eight of their last 10 games, recorded their third consecutive victory last night with a resounding 107-91 win over James’ old club, Cleveland, at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami, a 13 point favorite in the game, got 24 points, five rebounds, and six assists out of James in the route, but Dywane Wade led the team with 26 points, four boards, six assists, and three steals.
Miami, which has compiled a 7-4 record outside the AmericanAirlines Arena, begins a critical six game road swing tonight. With Atlanta three games out of first and Orlando just four off the pace, the Heat can ill afford a drop-off over the next 12 days. How they fare against the Magic this evening could set the tone for the rest of their road trip.
Orlando (15-10), which is 2-2 against the Heat since James arrived in Miami, recovered from a four game skid in late January with three straight to start the month of February. That run ended on Monday night, though, with a 102-107 overtime loss to the Clippers at the Amway Center. Dwight Howard had a monster effort in defeat, scoring 33 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, but Los Angeles prowess from the free throw line (22-of-25) proved too much to overcome.
Orlando, an 8-5 home team, has an opportunity to gain some major ground, despite that loss, with five of its next six games taking place in front of the home crowd. A win over Miami tonight and Atlanta on Friday and maybe Howard will quit clamoring for a trade. Those are two big ‘ifs’, though.
NBA Predictions Betting Trend: Miami is 9-1 both straight up and against the spread in its last 10 games as a road favorite against a Southeast opponent with a spread between 0 and 3.5.
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Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic 2012 NBA Predictions: Provided by SBG Global
Miami Heat -3.5 (-110), Over 191 (-110), -165 (Moneyline)
Orlando Magic +3.5 (-110), Under 191 (-110) , +145 (Moneyline)
