Analysis

Not much has separated these cross-conference opponents in recent years. Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by five points or fewer. Each team protected its home court last season with a narrow victory. Phoenix is on the second leg of a back-to-back after falling at home to Portland on Wednesday. This has been a disastrous start to the year for the Suns, who are 1-5 straight-up, 0-6 against the spread. Phoenix went 10-of-36 (27.8-percent) from the three-point line in last night's loss to the Blazers. Sloppy defense sent Portland to the free throw line 41 times and the Suns were out-scored 19-9 in fast-break opportunities. Orlando hasn't played since Monday, so the Magic are well-rested for this one. This is the first game of a lengthy West Coast road trip for Orlando, who enters this game off back-to-back home losses to the Celtics and Wizards. The Magic have failed to hit the 100-point mark in four of their last six games. Neither team has gotten off to a great start, but both have played difficult schedules thus far. All six of the Suns' opponents qualified for the postseason last year. Six of Orlando's first seven opponents were playoff teams from a year ago, and the lone exception is a much-improved Wizards team. We're inclined to back Orlando at the near-pick'em price. The Magic are still adjusting their rotation to accommodate for early-season injuries, and this two-day break with a West Coast road trip is a nice opportunity to reset and change some tactics. Phoenix doesn't have the luxury. Something is clearly broken with the Suns right now, specifically on the defensive end where they sit at the bottom of the league table in almost every metric. Seeing the Suns’ defense in this current form may be just what the doctor ordered for Orlando’s struggling offense.
Play Orlando Magic

Miami is 5-2 straight-up and against the spread over the last seven meetings in this cross-conference matchup, but Golden State did earn a dominant 135-112 home victory in the last meeting in January. Six of the last seven meetings have stayed under the total, with the lone exception being that high-scoring affair in San Francisco. Miami is on the second leg of a back-to-back after beating the Clippers in overtime on Wednesday. This is the third game in four nights for the Heat, who fell to the Lakers on Monday. Miami trailed by 15 at halftime against the Clippers last night before holding Los Angeles to 40 points in the second half. Klay Thompson and Bam Adebayo each cleared the 30-point mark, but the Heat volunteered for a heavy workload on Wednesday against an inferior opponent. Adebayo, Thompson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson all played 35+ minutes last night, including 40+ from Adebayo, Antetokounmpo and Mitchell. This is the fourth game of a homestand for Golden State, who has won-and-covered each of its last five games. One of those wins came by 12 points against the aforementioned Clippers on Sunday. Keep an eye on Miami's injury report through out the day because the Heat may elect to sit some folks on the second leg of a back-to-back. But if Miami enters this contest at full-strength, we have some interest in the over. Golden State's offense has been clicking thus far. The Warriors have covered the spread in six-straight games, scoring an average of 121.2 points per game in the process. Golden State enters Thursday No. 4 in offensive rating and both teams are top-10 in effective field goal shooting. With rested legs, the Warriors will probably look to push the pace against a Heat team on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Play the Over