Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic Prediction, 12/21/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: Kia Center in Orlando, FL

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Kia Center is where the Orlando Magic (17-11) will attempt to defeat the Miami Heat (13-11) on Saturday.

The Heat faced the Pistons and took a loss by a score of 125-124 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Heat finished with 19 and the Pistons accounted for 24 fouls. They made 20 of 40 tries from downtown. Detroit finished the game at 73.9% at the free throw line by burying 17 of their 23 shots. Moreover, Detroit totaled 52 boards (7 offensive, 45 defensive) and got 2 blocks. Detroit distributed 32 dimes and had 8 steals for the matchup. When it comes to defense, Miami allowed 48.9% from the field on 44 of 90 shooting. They also dished out 30 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 22 turnovers and earning 16 steals. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected 44 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Heat made 22 of their 24 attempts for a percentage of 91.7%. Miami wrapped up the game with a 45.5% field goal percentage (45 of 99) and made 12 out of their 43 shots from beyond the arc.

Jimmy Butler is someone who came through for the game. He accumulated 35 points on 12 out of 21 shooting. He saw the court for 44 mins and also pulled down 19 rebounds. Butler walked away from this one shooting 57.1% from the field and earned 10 assists.

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Miami enters this game with a record of 13-11 for the campaign. They currently have an average of 112.8 points per outing (15th in basketball) while shooting 45.3% from the field. The Heat are connecting on 37.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (355 of 937) and 78.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, Miami is pulling in 43.9 boards per game and has racked up 633 assists so far this season, which ranks 22nd in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 12.9 times per contest and as a team they are committing 16.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Heat are able to force 15.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.2 personal fouls. They give up 36.6% on shots from downtown while they are 6th in the league in points per game allowed (109.7). The Heat defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 46.2% (975 of 2,110) and they surrender 45.5 boards per game as a unit. They are currently ranked 8th in basketball in giving up assists with 648 conceded this year.

The last time they took the court, the Magic took a defeat with a final score of 100-91 against the Knicks. Regarding cleaning the glass, Orlando allowed New York to snag 45 in all (7 on the offensive glass). They went 41.7% from distance by connecting on 10 of 24 and ended up shooting 24 out of 30 at the charity stripe (80.0%). The Magic permitted the Knicks to make 33 of 71 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.5% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Magic ended up going 36 out of 86 from the field which had them shooting 41.9%. In reference to 3-pointers, Orlando converted 9 of their 30 attempts (30.0%). They were able to make 10 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 76.9%. The Knicks committed 16 personal fouls in this game which took the Magic to the charity stripe for a total of 13 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 15 times, while getting 8 steals for this game. The Magic earned 29 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards for a total of 39 for this contest.

Moritz Wagner ended up being a factor for the Magic for this game. Wagner scored 32 points in his 26 mins on the court and earned 1 assist for this contest. He made 10 of 15 in the game for a rate of 66.7%, and earned 6 rebounds.

Orlando has a mark of 17-11 for the year. The Magic are responsible for committing 20.3 fouls per game and they shoot 78.4% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 23.9 times per contest (25th in the NBA) and they are giving up possession 15.0 times per game. Orlando has accumulated 2,998 pts so far this season (107.1 per contest) and they collect 42.1 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Magic are connecting on 45.1% from the field, which ranks them 24th in the league.

The Magic defensively are ranked 2nd in the NBA in points given up per game with 103.5. They have forced 17.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 46.2% from the floor (11th in the NBA). The Orlando defense concedes 36.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (327 of 892) and their opponents are connecting on 75.8% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 23.0 assists and 40.8 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 2nd and 1st in the NBA.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Orlando

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