It is elimination time in the NBA Cup as the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic square off in the first quarter-finals game this Tuesday. The Magic are 2-0 in the regular season series, but with injuries hitting them hard can they book a place in the semis here?
Prime Video will have the tip at 7 pm ET, I’ve prepared a +338 odds Same Game Parlay featuring a Money Line pick and a player prop bet. Check out our NBA Cup Picks for Tuesday’s slate, let’s dive into my bet!
Miami Heat Money Line (-124)
Desmond Bane to Score 25+ Points (+148)
Same Game Parlay odds: +338
Miami Heat Money Line (-124)
I feel like it’s time for Miami to demonstrate why exactly they’ve been in the top 6 of the East for the first month of the NBA season. Orlando beating them already twice this season will also be a motivating factor for Erik Spoelstra’s men who are trying to end a 3-game losing streak. There’s no better spot for them to do exactly that than the NBA Cup semi-final. With Tyler Herro returning from injury the Heat will only get better as a team. Pairing him with Norman Powell who is having a career year has the potential to be one of the most lethal backcourts in the NBA.
Meanwhile, the Magic have played well over the past 10 games winning 7 of them, however the injury sustained by Franz Wagner on Sunday against the Knicks will be too big to overcome. Paolo Banchero also just recently returned from injury; it might take him a while to get back into his usual form. From a bettor’s perspective it makes a lot more sense to back Miami here, given that they’ve covered the spread 4 times in the last 5 meetings. With Bam Adebayo now having a clear advantage down low I think the Heat go to him early and often here, as they book their place in the NBA Cup semi-final.
Desmond Bane to Score 25+ Points (+148)
Bane is one of the major reasons why the Magic are still alive in the NBA. He came up big with 37 points against the Pistons in what was basically an elimination game, the Magic will be hoping he can repeat that performance as they face Miami on Tuesday. His recent play has put an end to all the discussions surrounding his move from the Grizzlies this past summer. After a somewhat slow start and just 16.2 points per game in October, Bane has upped that to 19.2 per in November. As good as Norman Powell has been at the shooting guard position offensively, he has been a liability on defense at times. Teams have taken advantage – Miami ranks 12th in points allowed to shooting guards this season and 9th overall. The Heat do like to push the tempo, if that happens on Tuesday there’s a solid chance Bane goes off. He’s scored 37 points twice in his last 6 outings overall, while in the last 7 meetings with Miami he’s scored over 20 points three times.
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