Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic Betting Pick & Prediction 12/21/24

At 7:00 ET, the Miami Heat will travel to take on the Orlando Magic. The Magic (-159) are favored by 3 points over the Heat (+135) in this Eastern Southeast division matchup. The over/under line is currently sitting at 208.5 points.

Miami has dropped two straight games and is 13-12 on the season. The Heat are currently 6th in the Eastern Conference and 2nd in the Southeast Division. Orlando has lost three in a row and is 17-12 overall. The Magic are 4th in the East and 1st in the Southeast.

MIAMI HEAT VS ORLANDO MAGIC BETTING PICK

The Pick: Miami Heat +3

This game will be played at Kia Center at 7:00 ET on Saturday, December 21st.

WHY BET THE MIAMI HEAT:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 140-86 in favor of the Heat.
• Our projections have Tyler Herro finishing with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
• From the field, we have the Heat finishing with a field goal percentage of 45.9% and knocking down 17 threes.

Taking a Look at the Heat Chances on the Road

The Heat dropped to 13-12 on the season after a 104-97 home loss to the Thunder on Friday. Miami entered the game as +1 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 201, falling short of the 217-point line.

Miami went on a 12-0 run, turning a 58-51 deficit into a 63-58 lead, but the Thunder responded by outscoring the Heat 31-23 in the 3rd quarter. Miami tried to rally in the 4th, winning the quarter 27-23, but couldn’t close the gap.

In Friday’s loss to the Thunder, the Heat managed just 97 points, shooting 43.4% from the field. Their three-point shooting was particularly poor, hitting only 30% of their attempts, with 12 made threes.

Tyler Herro led Miami with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, shooting 45.8% from the field and 30% from deep. Bam Adebayo added 17 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 7 points in both the 1st and 4th quarters.

Defensively, the Heat tightened up in the 2nd and 4th quarters, allowing just 20 and 23 points, respectively, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 104-97 loss to the Thunder. Miami gave up 31 points in the 3rd quarter, contributing to the defeat.

Miami allowed Oklahoma City to shoot 45% from the field, including 41% from three-point range, where the Thunder hit 14 threes. The Heat sent the Thunder to the line 17 times, with Oklahoma City converting 12 free throws. Miami finished with 9 steals and 3 blocks.

Will Orlando Win at Home?

Orlando’s season record dropped to 17-12 after a 105-99 home loss to the Thunder on Thursday. The Magic entered the game as +6.5 point underdogs and managed to cover the spread. The combined score of 204 points fell short of the 209.5-point O/U line.

A 12-0 run by the Thunder in the 2nd quarter put Orlando in a tough spot, as they were outscored 36-18 in that period. The Magic fought back, winning the 3rd quarter 28-17 and edging the Thunder 25-23 in the 4th, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

In their 99-point effort against the Thunder, the Magic shot 44.9% from the field and hit 31.4% of their threes, making 11 from beyond the arc. Anthony Black led the way with 23 points, knocking down 3 threes at a 50% clip and shooting 57.1% overall.

Black scored 12 of his points in the 4th quarter, while Goga Bitadze and Tristan da Silva each added 7 points in the 3rd. Bitadze finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 66.7% from the field, while da Silva also contributed 15 points, hitting 3 threes at 37.5%.

Despite a strong defensive effort in the 3rd quarter, where they held the Thunder to just 17 points, the Magic couldn’t overcome a tough 2nd quarter, giving up 36 points in a 105-99 loss. Overall, they allowed Oklahoma City to shoot 48% from the field.

Orlando did a solid job defending the three, holding the Thunder to 32% shooting with 10 made threes. They also limited Oklahoma City to 16 free throw attempts, with the Thunder making 15. The Magic gave up 4 offensive rebounds while recording 6 steals and 6 blocks.