The Orlando Magic (47-35 last season) visit the Miami Heat (46-36) on NBA Wednesday, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Miami, Florida. The game is airing live on Bally Sports Florida and streaming on NBA League Pass.
The Heat are 2-point favorites over the Magic (+2) on the spread , with the over/under currently at 208 points. The Heat are -132 favorites on the moneyline to win outright, while the Magic are +110 favorites to pull off the upset.
Let's dive into my Magic vs. Heat predictions and NBA picks for Wednesday, October 23.
Magic vs. Heat Odds
| Magic Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2 -112 | 208 -112o / -108u | +110 |
| Heat Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2 -108 | 208 -112o / -108u | -130 |
- Magic vs. Heat spread: Magic +2 (-112) / Heat -2 (-108)
- Magic vs. Heat over/under: 208 points (-112o / -108u)
- Magic vs. Heat moneyline: Magic +110, Heat -130
- Magic vs. Heat best bet: Under 208 (-108u)
Spread
I have a feeling Miami is going to stifle Orlando, but am unsure which side to take since each team is evenly matched. Passing on this.
Moneyline
Similar to above, these teams are evenly matched. Too hard to tell who comes out on top until we see more of each this season.
Over/Under
I believe the defense will be highlighted tonight, and for that, see the under hitting.
My pick: Under 208
Magic vs. Heat Injuries
- Heat G Josh Richardson ruled out with heel injury.
Magic vs. Heat Picks & Prediction
My pick: Under 208
These teams are familiar with each other and should match up well, so I would lean towards the under 208 here despite the number being so low. The Magic ranked 25th, and the Heat ranked 29th in pace last season, and given these are essentially the same teams with the same coaches, I see no reason for that to change.
For all of your NBA bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NBA odds page.
Magic vs. Heat Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida |
| Date: | Wednesday, October 23 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | Bally Sports Florida, NBA League Pass |
Heat vs. Magic is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET start time, live from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on Wednesday. The game is live on Bally Sports Florida and is streaming on NBA League Pass.
Magic vs. Heat NBA Preview
Orlando Magic: Healthy and Raring To Go
The Magic are fully healthy for this game and returning much of their same core from last season, plus Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Their starting five of Jalen Suggs, Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr. should be one of the best defensive units in the NBA. The Magic finished second in defensive rating (111.5), and they should be in the top five once again this season as almost everyone in their rotation projects as a plus-defender.
Orlando struggled in its four matchups with the Heat last season, going 1-3 SU and ATS. Its most recent matchup against the Heat was back in February, where it lost 95-121.
The Magic should look better this time around as they essentially replace Markelle Fultz with Caldwell-Pope. Still, this offense averaged just 100.5 PPG against the Heat last season, and it is easy to see why. The offense ranked first in the NBA in rim rate (38.5%), and the Heat defense ranked second best at limiting rim attempts (25.0%).
Coach Erik Spoelstra always prioritizes taking away the rim, and that is where the Magic lived last season. Additionally, the Magic were semi-reliant on offensive rebounds (seventh) and FT attempts (fourth). The Heat always do a great job of preventing those as they ranked third and fourth in those defensive categories last season.
Spoelstra won't give you anything easy. Good luck getting to the rim, in transition, grabbing offensive rebounds, or generating free throws. All of those categories were where the Magic generated most of their points last season.
Will the Caldwell-Pope addition add enough juice to their halfcourt offense to improve upon their 22nd ranking from last season? I’m a little skeptical, but that doesn’t mean that guys like Anthony Black and Franz Wagner can’t continue to progress and unlock their potential.
Miami Heat: Needing A More Diverse Offense
The Heat were fifth in defensive rating (112.7) last season, and they return pretty much their entire team while adding a potential defensive stud in rookie center Ke’lel Ware off the bench.
The problem for this Heat team last season was their 21st ranked offense and that they got hit with the injury bug in the post-season. This was a team that couldn’t consistently make shots last season and finished the season 13th in halfcourt offensive rating but ranked bottom-10 in offensive rebound rate, transition offense, and effective field goal percentage.
Additionally, Miami was ranked 28th in offensive rim rate, 15th in 3-point rate, and first in mid-range attempt rate. It's not exactly the shot profile you want in the year 2024. Hopefully for the Heat's, they can get away from Bam Adebayo's inefficient mid-range twos and find a way to generate some more quality offense this season from the trio of Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Terry Rozier.
This will be a challenge for the Heat as the Magic defense is extremely solid and they don’t really have any players you can hunt in their starting five.
