LeBron James says he’s ready for a rematch when the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic square off in the “Battle of Florida” on NBA on TNT Thursday at the Amway Center (8 pm ET, TNT). The heated Southeast division rivalry should ramp up a bit more when the teams meet for the third time this season, with each looking to break the 1-1 SU deadlock in the season series thus far. Orlando topped the Heat in their last meeting on November 24, winning 104-95 and cashing in as a 4-point home favorite. That was revenge for a loss in the first week of the season, when Miami won 96-70 on Oct. 29 and was pinned as a 3.5-point favorite. Miami (34-14 SU, 22-25-1 ATS) looked very average for most of January as he battled injuries to two-thirds of his “Big 3.” Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade have now reunited with James to form the most powerful power trio in the NBA.
By contrast, 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 their old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in their last game on Monday and cruised to a 117-90 victory, easily cashing in as a home favorite by 17.5 points. The score exceeded 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 exceeded the total of 196.5. Orlando is 6-4 SU and 6-4 ATS in the head-to-head series in the last 10 meetings, and the favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings. Orlando is a 2.5-point home favorite and the total over/under is 197 at NBA Odds.