How Do The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic Fare In October?

How Do The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic Fare In October?
Fact Checked by Nate Hamilton

When it comes to getting off to a good start in the NBA, the Miami Heat are in the middle of the pack. However, the first month of the season in recent years for the Orlando Magic has been anything but magical.

While the first month of the NBA season may be short, it is an important few games to get off to a hot start in October. FloridaBet.com used our Florida sports betting mindset and utilized ChampsorChumps.us to find the records of every NBA team in October since the 2017-2018 to find the best to worst teams during the first month of the NBA season. Note that all teams didn’t participate in the same amount of games, so ranking is based on win percentage. No games were played in October during the 2020-21 NBA season.

NBA Team Records in the Month of October Since 2017-18

For the story, we can cover each of the teams’ October games and any storylines as part of the October schedules for each of them.  Below you'll find some information that may help you make decisions on Florida sports betting apps once they become legal.

RankTeamRecordWin Pct.
1 Milwaukee Bucks 22-9.710
T-2 Toronto Raptors 23-10.697
T-2 Utah Jazz 23-10.697
4 Golden State Warriors 22-12.647
5 Portland Trail Blazers 20-11.645
T-6 Boston Celtics 19-11.633
T-6 San Antonio Spurs 19-11.633
8 Denver Nuggets 20-12.625
9 Minnesota Timberwolves 18-13.581
10 Philadelphia 76ers 19-14.576
11 Memphis Grizzlies 17-13.567
12 Charlotte Hornets 18-16.529
T-13 Los Angeles Clippers 16-15.516
T-13 Miami Heat 16-15.516
15 Phoenix Suns 14-16.467
T-16 Cleveland Cavaliers 14-17.452
T-16 New York Knicks 14-17.452
18 Los Angeles Lakers 14-18.438
19 Washington Wizards 13-17.433
T-20 Detroit Pistons 14-20.412
T-20 Indiana Pacers 14-20.412
T-22 Dallas Mavericks 13-19.406
T-22 New Orleans Pelicans 13-19.406
24 Chicago Bulls 12-19.387
25 Brooklyn Nets 13-21.382
26 Atlanta Hawks 12-20.375
27 Oklahoma City Thunder 11-19.367
T-28 Houston Rockets 11-21.344
T-28 Orlando Magic 11-21.344
T-28 Sacramento Kings 11-21.344

Miami is Hotter Than Orlando in October

The Heat, which reached the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons this past summer, won’t have any easy start to the 2023-24 season. They open at home against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 25. They play the next three on the road, starting with an Oct. 27 game against the Boston Celtics, whom they defeated in seven games in the last season’s Eastern Conference final. The next night they play at the Minnesota Timberwolves, before ending the first month’s slate with a game at the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA title contenders whom they upset in the first round last season.

For the Magic, which last made the playoffs in 2020, they also have four games in the month. Their schedule features all Western Conference teams. After hosting the Houston Rockets on Oct. 25, they travel to play the new-look Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 27. They end the month with back-to-back games in Los Angeles. First against the Lakers on Oct. 30 and the next night against the Clippers.

Although there isn't a FanDuel sportsbook in Florida, nationally, Miami has the best odds of any Southeast Division team (-500) to make the playoffs. The Heat’s season win total is set at 44.5.

Orlando meanwhile has odds of +172 to make the playoffs, tied with Chicago for 11th best in the conference. FanDuel set the Magic’s season win total at 37.5, a figure they’ll likely need to exceed if they want to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

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Author

Steve Bittenbender

Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.

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