The quarterfinals of the NBA Cup begin on Tuesday, Dec. 9, and the first game on the slate will see the Orlando Magic host the Miami Heat.
The Magic went 4-0 during the group stage to win Group B, while the Heat went 3-1 to finish second in Group C and earned the Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
Below are three NBA Cup predictions for tonight’s Heat vs Magic quarterfinal, including the spread, total, and a player prop.
Heat vs Magic Predictions
All NBA odds used for these Heat vs Magic best bets are current as of Tuesday, Dec. 9, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Heat -2.5 (-112) @ Magic
Heading into this game, Miami has a few players on the injury report, but they’re all slated to suit up. As for the Magic, they’ll likely be without both Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs.
In addition to that, both teams have been playing worse than usual lately, with Orlando shooting 32% from beyond the arc and 47.3% on 2-point shots over its last three. Miami is shooting 31% from beyond the arc and 52.5% from 2-point range in that same span.
That said, I trust the Heat a bit more here as they typically shoot 37.4% from beyond the arc and are third in the NBA in points per game at 122.3. Wagner and Suggs combine for over 37 points per game, and without them, this hurts the Magic’s chances.
For my NBA pick of the day, I’m taking the Heat to win and cover.
Under 232.5 Total Points (-112)
As mentioned, neither team has been playing exceptionally well lately.
Both teams’ averages in scoring, 3-point, and 2-point shooting are down over their last three games compared to the rest of the season.
Then, if you factor in the Magic likely without two of their top four scorers, that could only make matters worse.
On the Heat side of things, they typically average 122.3 points per game, but they’re down to 108 per outing over their last three.
Bam Adebayo: 10+ Rebounds (-111)
Moving over to Heat vs Magic prop bets, I’m looking at Adebayo’s rebounds.
He’s averaging nine rebounds per game, but has finished with 10 or more in three of his last five games. One of those games was against the Magic on Dec. 5, where he finished with 15.
The Magic are allowing 55.3 rebounds per game over their last three games, ranking 21st in the NBA.
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