Saturday, February 12, 2011

Miami Heat, Orlando Magic Meet in Southeast Division Clash on TNT

LeBron James says he's ready for the rematch as the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic meet in the "Battle of Florida" on NBA on TNT Thursday at the Amway Center (8 pm ET, TNT). The heated Southeast division rivalry should get cranked up another notch when the teams meet for the third time this season, with each looking to break the 1-1 SU deadlock in the season series so far. Orlando got the better of the Heat in their last clash Nov. 24, winning 104-95 and cashing as a 4-point home favorite. That was revenge for a loss in the opening week of the season, when Miami won 96-70 on Oct. 29 and covered as a 3.5-point favorite. Miami (34-14 SU, 22-25-1 ATS) looked very average through most of January as it struggled with injuries to two-thirds of its "Big 3." Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade have now rejoined James to form the NBA's most powerful power trio.

Conversely, Orlando (31-18 SU, 20-27-2 ATS) has struggled in its most recent stretch of games, winning one then losing one.LeBron and the Heat faced his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in their last game on Monday and romped to a 117-90 win, easily cashing as a 17.5-point home favorite. The score went over the total of 198.5. Orlando lost 100-97 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, failing to cover as a 1.5-point road favorite. The score went over the total of 196.5. Orlando is 6-4 SU and 6-4 ATS in the head-to-head series over the past 10 meetings, and the favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings. Orlando is a 2.5-point home favorite and the over/under total is 197 in NBA Odds.

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Article Submitted On: February 03, 2011

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