Magic vs. Heat Preview
MIAMI, FL (AP) – The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic are in the midst of difficult stretches which may define their seasons, and neither team has played particularly well against tougher competition.
One team will shed that label for at least a day when the in-state rivals meet Thursday night in Miami.
The Heat (43-17) began a six-game stretch against likely playoff teams Sunday with a 91-86 loss to New York. They’re second in the Eastern Conference, but have matchups looming with San Antonio, Chicago, Portland and the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to NBA odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Heat -5 point spread favorites for Thursday’s game against the Magic. Current NBA Public Betting Information shows that 67% of more than 287 bets for this game have been placed on the Magic +5.
The loss to the Knicks dropped Miami to 13-14 against teams .500 or better, a stark contrast to a 29-2 mark against squads below the break-even mark. With 22 games remaining and the Heat battling the Bulls and Boston for the top three seeds in the East, improvement against top-tier competition is necessary.
“We’ve got to figure it out,” said Dwyane Wade, who was limited to 12 points against New York on 5-for-15 shooting. “That’s why we continue to play these games. We continue to build habits. Hopefully, eventually we’ll turn the corner.”
Miami hopes the acquisition of point guard Mike Bibby will provide an added boost. Bibby, who reached a buyout agreement Monday with Washington, is expected to be in uniform Thursday after the Heat cleared a roster spot by releasing Carlos Arroyo on Tuesday.
LeBron James, who said he had private discussions with Bibby about playing with the Heat, scored a season-high 51 points against Orlando in the most recent meeting – a 104-100 victory Feb. 3.
Coincidently, that marked the last time Miami beat a team with a winning record.
The Magic (39-22), fourth in the East and 4 1/2 games behind the Heat, have lost two of the three matchups this season but have seemed to hit their stride.
Orlando has won three straight and five of six after beating visiting New York 116-110 on Tuesday. After a stretch from Jan. 12-Feb. 11 without beating a team with a winning record, the Magic have won three straight such games and are making their case for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Orlando will face Miami, followed by Chicago on Friday and Portland on Monday.
“We’ll be forced to play every night or suffer the consequences if we don’t play well,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “And I think that’s a good mindset and focus to have – that you have to play very well to get a win. You’re not going to get anything given to you in this stretch.”
The Magic are 2-4 combined against their next three opponents.
“This is kind of a chance to redeem ourselves,” guard Jason Richardson said. “We haven’t played against some of the top teams well, but I think we have a chance this week to show people we’re serious about trying to win a championship here.”
Dwight Howard had 30 points and 16 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson scored 23 of his 26 points in the second half Tuesday. Nelson scored a team-high 22 points in the most recent meeting with the Heat, while Howard has averaged 20.0 points and 13.7 rebounds in three matchups this season.
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