The Miami Heat visit the Away Center to face interstate rival the Orlando Magic. The Heat are on the second night of a back to back as they defeated the Atalanta Hawks in Miami last night. This will be the first time the teams match-up this season and the first opportunity for the Heat get an up close look at the Magics promising rookie Victor Oladipo. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 PM tip-off from the Amway Center in Orlando.
What to watch for:
- After resting the first night of a back to back Heat guard Dwyane Wade will make his return to the line-up. Dwyane will have his hands full with Magic rookie Victor Oladipo, a player who plays with a similar style to Dwyane. It will be interesting to see how much energy Wade comes out with after having a nights rest.
- LeBron James had an off night for his standards last night against Atlanta scoring only 13 points on 6-13 shooting. The four time MVP normally doesn't put up two consecutive bad games so look for James to get into his groove again tonight.
- The Magic's center Nikola Vucevic is a force to be reckoned with and will again challenge Miami's lack of inside presence. In his first game against the Heat in Orlando last year Vucevic tallied 20 point and 29 REBOUNDS!! You read that right, 29 rebounds.
Match up of the game:
Nikola Vucevic VS Chris Bosh
Once again Chris Bosh finds himself in our match up of the game section. Bosh fared well against Al Horford last night but again has his hands full with another tough match-up. The scoring load should lessen for Bosh with the return of Wade. In order for the Heat to win this game Bosh must to his best to keep Vucevic away from rebounds, something that is easier said than done.
Wise Guys:
The wise guys in Vegas have the Heat as a 7.5 point favorite against Orlando. The Heat covered in last nights game against Atalanta and are facing a tough back to back match-up against a well rested Orlando team who is playing in the comforts of home. I see this game going down to the wire and would take the Magic getting 7.5 points.
Prediction time:
I believe the Heat are at the beginning of a Magical win streak and will continue their winning ways tonight. This game should be closer than the Vegas odds-makers suggest though seeing as the team is on the second night of back to back. The Magic are a much improved team with some impressive home victories this season against the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. This game should come down to the wire and I have the Heat squeaking out a victory 104-99.
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