Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic Prediction, 12/20/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic

Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Location: Amway Center in Orlando, FL

TV: Bally Sports Florida

Amway Center is the site where the Orlando Magic (16-9) will attempt to defeat the Miami Heat (15-12) on Wednesday.

The Heat played the Timberwolves and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 112-108 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Heat ended up with 18 and the Timberwolves totaled 19 fouls. They buried 11 of 29 shots from 3-point range. Minnesota finished shooting 89.5% from the charity stripe by making 17 of 19 shots. Moreover, Minnesota pulled down 45 rebounds (12 offensive, 33 defensive) and added 4 blocks. Minnesota recorded 27 dimes and had 10 steals for the game. Regarding defending, Miami allowed 49.4% from the floor on 42 out of 85 shooting. They also recorded 27 assists for the contest in addition to creating 13 turnovers and having 10 steals. With respect to grabbing boards, they compiled a total of 40 with 9 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the Heat made 15 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 83.3%. Miami ended the game having earned a 47.1% FG percentage (41 of 87) and converted 11 of their 30 3-pointers.

Tyler Herro is a guy who came through for the matchup. He recorded 25 points on 10 out of 18 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 33 minutes and snagged 3 rebounds. Herro finished the game shooting 55.6% from the floor and distributed 2 assists.

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Miami enters this one with a record of 15-12 this year. They turn the ball over 13.2 times per game and as a squad they are committing 18.7 personal fouls every game. As a team, Miami is pulling down 40.7 boards per contest and has earned 714 dimes on the season, which is 10th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. The Heat are shooting 39.0% on three-point attempts (347 of 889) and 83.3% from the free throw line. They are averaging 112.8 points per game (20th in the NBA) while shooting 47.2% from the field.

On defense, the Heat are able to force 14.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 20.1 personal fouls. They are giving up 38.2% on 3-pointers and they are 10th in the NBA in points per game allowed (112.0). The Heat are giving up a shooting percentage of 48.5% (1,114 of 2,296) and they relinquish 42.1 rebounds per contest as a team. They are 24th in the league in giving up assists with 719 relinquished for the year.

The last time they took the court, the Magic went home defeated by a final of 114-97 against the Celtics. In the matter of rebounding, Orlando permitted Boston to grab 5 in all (10 offensive). They wrapped up this game 47.2% from beyond the arc by connecting on 17 of 36 and ended up shooting 7 of 8 from the free throw line (87.5%). The Magic permitted the Celtics to knock down 45 out of their 95 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 47.4% for the contest. Overall, the Magic shot 34 out of 89 from the floor which had them sitting at 38.2%. With respect to shooting from downtown, Orlando made 11 out of 36 attempts (30.6%). They were able to knock down 18 of those for a percentage of 75.0%. The Celtics had 19 fouls for this game which got the Magic to the free throw line for 24 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while earning 7 steals for the contest. The Magic corralled 33 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 43 in the matchup.

Paolo Banchero ended up being a major contributor for the Magic in the matchup. He made 14 out of 30 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 46.7%, and had 10 rebounds. Banchero scored 36 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 1 assist for the contest.

Orlando has a win-loss mark of 16-9 so far this season. When it comes to offense, the Magic are connecting on 47.5% from the field, which ranks 13th in the NBA. Orlando has accumulated 2,831 pts this season (113.2 per contest) and they pull in 43.6 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 25.0 times per contest (24th in the NBA) and they lose possession via turnover 15.2 times per game. The Magic are responsible for committing 21.6 personal fouls per contest and they go 76.6% from the charity stripe.

The Orlando defense allows 36.4% on shots from distance (299 of 822) and opponents are connecting on 73.8% of their foul shots. They relinquish 23.2 dimes and 40.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 2nd and 2nd in basketball. The Magic are ranked 4th in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 109.9. They are forcing their opponents into 16.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.0% from the floor (16th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Miami

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