The Orlando Magic (29-42) will try to put an end to their five-game skid when they meet the Miami Heat (41-30) at AmericanAirlines Arena. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 25 and can be seen on SUN and FxF.
The Heat are hoping for a better outcome after their 112-88 loss to the Spurs on Wednesday. Josh Richardson was the team’s leading scorer with 17 points. The Magic, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 118-102 loss against the Pistons on Wednesday. Elfrid Payton put up a stellar performance while accounting for a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Victor Oladipo has upped his play for the Magic, averaging 26.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.4 steals, 1.8 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers over the past five games.
Scoring opportunities from the charity stripe may be sporadic for the Magic in this one. They’re 30th in the league in free throw attempt rate (23.0), while Miami is among the NBA’s least foul-prone teams (yielding a rate of 24.7, ranking fourth overall).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first matchup 108-101. In the victory, Dwyane Wade led all scorers on the team with 24 points.
The Heat come into this game 41-30 Straight Up (SU) and 37-33-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-9 SU and 5-7 ATS against divisional opponents. The Heat are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .468 from the field. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Heat. The 98.2 points that Miami’s defense allows per game makes them the fourth-ranked defense in the league. The Heat prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking fourth in the league with 543 total three-pointers allowed (7.0 per game). Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Heat, who lead the league in blocks per game with 6.6.
In the other locker room, the Magic have a record of 40-31 ATS and 29-42 SU. Against fellow division members, Orlando has an 8-5 SU and ATS record. Offensively, the Magic have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 100.8 points per game by averaging 109.8 during that stretch.
Miami beat Orlando in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record to 9-1 over the Magic in their last 10 meetings. The Heat also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia
Notes
“Miami is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Miami is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami’s last 5 games “.
“Miami is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home”.
“Miami is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami’s last 7 games at home”.
“Miami is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games when playing Orlando”.
“Miami is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Orlando”.
“Miami is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Orlando”.
Miami is 8-5 SU against the division, while Orlando is struggling at 3-9 SU.
Orlando ranks 21st in points per game with 100.8, while Miami ranks fourth in points allowed with an average of 98.2 given up.
Orlando puts up an average of 99.0 points per away game (ranked 21st), while Miami allows 98.1 points per home game (ranked sixth).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Miami Heat are an outstanding 31-10. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Orlando Magic have a subpar record of 5-23.
Miami is a poor 10-20 when it gives up 100 or more points. Orlando has a 24-19 record when it reaches the century mark.
The Magic have a defensive rating of 104.9 (ranked 16th). The Heat rank 12th for their offensive rating of 104.5.
Miami averages fewer possessions per game than Orlando, with 95.1 compared to 98.9. However, the Heat score an average of 1.045 points per possession, more than the 1.020 that the Magic score.
Miami has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.5%. Orlando is a losing 13-28 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Miami averages 18.0 three point attempts per game, and Orlando attempts 22.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Heat have a losing 1-4 record while the Magic have an 11-16 record.
Miami has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.56 this season (ranked 19th). Orlando ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.68 (ranked 12th).
The Heat rank 11th in rebounds per game with 44.2, while the Magic rank 16th with 43.7 per game.
Miami is ranked sixth in defensive rebounds, while Orlando ranks 15th in offensive rebounds.
Miami has forced an average turnover percentage of 12.8% this season. Orlando has a subpar 18-30 record when its TOV% is 12.8% or higher.
