Latest Southeast Division odds indicate Miami Heat could overtake Orlando Magic
By Peter Dewey
The Miami Heat may be able to win the Southeast Division this season after all.
After taking down the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, the Heat have won three straight games, pulling to within two games of the division lead behind the Orlando Magic.
While Orlando (44-31) has a better record than the Heat at the moment, Miami just needs to finish the season with the same record as Orlando since it won three of the four matchups between the teams this season -- giving it the tiebreaker in the division.
The Heat are currently the No. 7 seed in the East, but things line up well for Miami in this division to close out the season. Jimmy Butler and company have the 22nd hardest schedule remaining, per Tankathon, while Orlando clocks in at No. 9.
Miami could also make up some ground in the East with games against the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers still left on the schedule. Here's a look at the team's odds to win the division, where it is currently an underdog, this season:
Miami Heat odds to win Southeast Division
Oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook have the Heat at +180 to win the division (an implied probability of 35.71 percent), but that could go up -- starting tonight. Orlando has a tough road matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night and a loss would give it just a 1.5-game cushion over the Heat.
Miami closes out the season with three games against sub-.500 teams in the Toronto Raptors (twice, they've lost 14 in a row) and Atlanta Hawks. If Miami can finish out the season with five wins in its last seven games, it'll put some pressure on Orlando, which has two games against Milwaukee still on the schedule and five games against opponents above .500 on the season.
Given Miami's penchant for turning things on for the playoffs in the Jimmy Butler era, the Heat may be worth a shot at this number to overtake a young Orlando team looking to reach the playoffs.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.