NBA Southeast Division Odds Update: Heat Expected to Lead the Group Again

Following a loss to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals last season, the Miami Heat entered the 2023-2024 campaign as favorites to win the Southeast Division. Will the Heat maintain their status of being the front runners to secure another division title?

While it is a competitive race at the top of the Southeast Division, teams like the Charlotte Hornets and the Washington Wizards are both sitting the near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

With the regular season entering the February portion of the schedule, let's take a look at the Southeast Division odds over on FanDuel Sportsbook.

NBA Southeast Division Odds

Here are the odds for the three teams with available odds in the Southeast Division, with a breakdown of each team.

Miami Heat (-145)

The Heat have sat atop the Southeast Division for the vast majority of the last two decades. Since the 2004-2005 season, the Heat have won the division in 13 of the last 20 years, including each of the last two seasons.

This season feels a bit different for an Erik Spoelstra squad that is posting a 25-23 record through their first 48 games. Injuries to Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro have caused the team to use a multitude of different rotations ahead of the All-Star break.

Despite the Heat producing the ninth-worst offensive rating (113.1), they are logging the 13th-best defensive rating (114.2) in the league. The recent acquisition of Terry Rozier was made in hopes that Miami can finally have a productive point guard playing alongside Butler and Adebayo.

We've seen the Heat look like a team that has no business of making a deep playoff push in recent years only for them to be a tough out in the postseason. Assuming Butler, Adebayo, and Herro can remain on the court down the stretch, the Heat could certainly finish atop the Southeast Division once again.

Orlando Magic (+100)

It has been quite a while since the last time there was a positive outlook surrounding the Orlando Magic. The Magic are a young squad led by budding superstar Paolo Banchero, who leads the team in points (23.0), rebounds (7.0), and assists (5.0) per game in just his second year in the Association.

Aside from Banchero, Franz Wagner has also made a ton of growth as a young player, registering 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. The Magic have posted a 25-23 record up to this point in large part due to their stout defense, earning the fifth-best defensive rating (111.6) so far.

Even with the Magic having the seventh-worst offensive rating (112.5), they still have the 14th-best net rating (0.9). For comparison, the Heat have the 18th-best net rating in the NBA at -1.0.

Inefficient shooting has been costly for the Magic, tallying the eighth-worst true-shooting percentage (56.9%). Although that may be true, the Magic are still in a solid spot to potentially unseat the Heat for the division crown at the end of the regular season.

Atlanta Hawks (+5500)

There were solid expectations for the Atlanta Hawks entering this season with head coach Quin Snyder set to coach his first full season with the organization. It's safe to say things haven't gone according to plan for the Hawks thus far -- especially with trade rumors involving Dejounte Murraygrowing louder.

Through their first 47 contests, the Hawks are 20-27 and are the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. You would assume that a team with two guards like Trae Young and Murray would have a decent assist rate, but Atlanta is currently notching the seventh-lowest assist rate (59.6%) in the league.

On the offensive end of the floor, the Hawks own the 10th-best offensive efficiency (119.0), per numberFire's metrics. Meanwhile, the Hawks are also recording the third-worst defensive efficiency (121.6); only the Hornets and the Detroit Pistons are worse.

Since losing in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-2021, the Hawks have been bounced in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Atlanta finished with at least 41 wins in those years, and it seems like an uphill battle for the team to achieve a 21-14 record -- or better -- the rest of the way.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.