Heat, Magic stage Sunshine State showdown

Even though March Madness betting begins on Thursday, you should still find some time to squeeze in some NBA action from the state of Florida, where Orlando and Miami will do battle in the first half of TNT’s weekly doubleheader.

Magic vs Heat odds – Thursday, March 18, 8:00 PM ET

The Magic will face San Antonio at home first on Wednesday, but prior to that, Orlando had an eight-game winning streak snapped with a 96-89 loss at home to Charlotte on Sunday. The Magic were hammered on the boards, getting outrebounded 46-34, and they were 12-of-21 from the foul line. Dwight Howard led the way for 27 points and 16 rebounds, while Vince Carter was next for 23 points for the Magic, who are moving up the sportsbook ladder in the Eastern Conference, and you could argue that it’s Orlando, not Cleveland, who are the favorites to win represent the East in the NBA Finals.

The Heat hosted San Antonio on Tuesday, falling 88-76 to the Spurs despite 28 points from Dwyane Wade. Jermaine O’Neal added 13 points for the Heat, who shot a miserable 38.5% from the field, and they were just 3-of-16 from behind the three-point line. Michael Beasley came back into the lineup after missing two games with a thigh injury, but he had just six points on 3-of-10 shooting in 19 minutes of action for the Heat, and the injury was tough because he was just starting to put together a good run for Miami, who desperately need some help for Wade before he leaves town this summer in the free-agent bonanza of 2010.

The Heat should be favored at home in this contest according to US sportsbook odds (US sportsbook review), and the Magic have won seven of their last 10 against the Heat, although two of those losses have come this year. Carter has averaged 16.3 points in three meetings with the Heat this season, while Wade has put up 23.3 points for Miami, who are trying to stay in the playoff picture. As of Wednesday, the Heat were in seventh place, with a 1.5-game lead over Toronto, and a win over the Magic would be a boost. They have a bit of an edge as they have Wednesday off to work on some things in practice, while the Magic will be taking on a red-hot San Antonio team, and Orlando is 6-7 in the second half of their back-to-back games this year. This also kicks off a three-game road trip for the Magic, who head to Philadelphia and Atlanta as well, but they’ve had some big problems with the Heat this year. Go with Miami in your sportsbook before you bet on college basketball on Thursday.