Battle Of Florida: Heat Versus Magic
Feb 8th, 2012 by PJ LaFerla
The first place Miami Heat (19-6) visit their interstate rivals, the Orlando Magic (15-10) for a battle between two Southeast division foes. The oddsmakers have set this line to -3 points (Miami), while the over/under sits at 192.
The Heat are riding a three game winning streak, covering two of those in the process – however they are not fairing to well against the spread thus far through their first 25 games. They own ATS records of 11-14 overall, 10-14 as a favorite, 4-7 on the road and 1-1 on the road as a favorite of three points or less.
The Magic have slightly better numbers when it comes to cashing in a wager ticket. Overall they own a 13-12 record against the spread, but at home they fall short of the mark at 5-8. As an underdog they are 4-2 against the spread, but as a puppy at home getting three points or less they are winless this season at 0-2.
Over the past three seasons, these teams have split their won/loss and against the spread records (4-4) versus one another. Interestingly enough, they have also split the total mark – going over four times and going under four times.
It is obvious that these two teams battle it out against each other and that is what we like to see with rivals. This is by no means the Yankees/Red Sox, but nevertheless the rivalry exists.
WHO WILL COVER THE SPREAD?
For me, there are two teams going in two different directions. Miami is clearly starting to separate themselves from everyone else in the division, while Orlando seems to be sputtering. At -3, I think Miami will be too tough to contain over 48 minutes and they will come away with the win and point-spread cover. As far as the total goes – I see this game as a grind it out style, so I expect the final score to stay UNDER the posted total.
PREDICTION:
Heat 93, Magic 84
Below, I have posted video footage of prior matchup between the Heat and Magic that took place last season…
PJ Laferla is a practicing freelance writer, professional handicapper, and the founder of SportsInput.com. If you are interested in hiring PJ Laferla for freelance writing or for winning picks against the spread, please submit all inquires to PJ@sportsinput.com.