Tonight, we will see Miami Heat hosting Orlando Magic at American Airlines Arena in hopes to extend their winning streak to 3 games.
Miami Heat had a slow start of the season, winning only 3 games out of the first 8. Even looking at their last 10 games, Heat only won 4, however they are on 2 games winning streak, after defeating Pelicans (106:101) and Utah Jazz (102:100). In their recent match against Utah Jazz, Heat were behind by 7 points by the end of the 1st quarter, due to poor defense, which saw Utah shooting with 60% accuracy from the field. The second quarter was a different story. Heat held Jazz at only 34.8 FG% and almost closed the gap by the end of the quarter (53:55). With only 2 points separating the teams, they headed into the 3rd quarter, which was similar to the 2nd quarter, with Heat doing a good job in the defensive end, keeping Jazz at 39.1 FG% and once again outscored the visitors (27:22). With 2 good quarters, Miami Heat were in the lead prior to the last 12 minutes (80:77). In the last quarter, both teams performed equally good, with Heat doing a better job from the 3pt line (5/11) compared to Jazz (2/9). The match ended with a final score of 102:100, with this close win, Miami won their 3rd game out of last 5 and 2nd in a row.
Orlando Magic currently sit at 8th place in the Eastern Conference (11-12) and are coming from a hard West coast trip, where they won 2 and lost 3 matches. They are not in the best shape, however, we have seen some improvement. Against Warriors and Blazers, Orlando held a double-digit lead but still lost in the end by 6 and 3 points. The biggest reason for those results is their poor rebounding, which gives the opponent too many second chances to score. Their last match against Phoenix Suns ended as expected, with Magic winning. Despite a poor performance from Orlando in the 1st quarter (25:21), they managed to catch up to Phoenix in the 2nd quarter (23:30), which saw them heading into the 3rd quarter with a 3 point lead. The third quarter was relatively close (23:24), however, it was the last quarter which sealed the deal for Magic. They shot 55% from the field and held Phoenix at only 27.3%, which saw them adding another 10 points to their lead. Final score: 85:99.
These two teams usually end their H2H matches with the final score being close. In the last 3 matches between Miami and Orlando, the final scores were as follows; 104:101, 90:89, 109:111, so it’s safe to say they tend to play close matches. However, this time I see a clear favorite in Heat. Orlando’s first issue is their rebounding, which will suit Heat, who will take advantage of it with their big players. The second concern I have about Orlando is their though week behind them, and I do expect them to be fairly fatigued. With 2 home matches ending in a win for Heat, expect them to extend their winning streak to 3 tonight.
Prediction: Miami Heat -2.50 points
Odds: 1.96 SBOBET
