The final stretch of the NBA season is approaching faster than a speeding bullet! The Orlando Magic will look to continue their contending ways when they clash with the Toronto Raptors! Join us for our NBA odds series where our Magic-Raptors prediction and pick will be made.
Entering play, the Magic are starting to look more and more like a team that can make some noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Overall, Orlando has posted a 38-28 record and have been victorious in three of their last five games including a 114-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets. At the end of the day, this young and coming Magic squad has much going for them and are clear ahead of schedule when it comes to their growing pains.
On the other side of things, the Raptors season is all but lost as Toronto has seen their losing ways reach five consecutive games. Currently 20 games under the .500 mark, all Toronto can do at this point is play for pride as they sit significantly behind the rest of the field in terms of playoff contention. Nevertheless, the Raptors will still be looking to play the role of spoiler in front of their home fans to kick off the weekend!
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Magic-Raptors Odds
Orlando Magic: -8.5 (-106)
Moneyline: -335
Toronto Raptors: +8.5 (-114)
Moneyline: +270
Over: 217 (-110)
Under: 217 (-110)
How to Watch Magic vs. Raptors
Time: 7:30 ET/4:30 PT
TV: Bally Sports Florida
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread/Win
On paper, the Magic aren't the type of team that is going to shoot lights out from three-point range, but they instead excel in the form of finding high-percentage looks where other teams often settle too much on contested jumpers. Believe it or not, not only are the Magic averaging 110 points per game each night, but they are shooting on average 47% from the field in general. With this type of consistent offensive execution, it makes Orlando extremely difficult to overcome on the scoreboard.
However, if there's one element of their game that bites them in the behind, it is due to a high turnover rate. As it stands, Orlando is committing roughly 14 giveaways per game which often spoils far too many additional possessions that they could have. Due to their youth, the Magic will have to learn the hard way and go through the growing pains of turning the ball over. As long as this doesn't occur in the critical stages of this contest, then they still should be in good position to cover the spread.
Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread/Win
Meanwhile, the odds may be stacked against the Raptors to cover, but they do happen to be at home while also being extremely desperate to put a game in the win column.
Despite already focusing on next season, Toronto could end up inflicting a fair amount of damage in the form of a slew of scorers out on the hardwood. Indeed, the good news is that the Raptors have the ability to attacks in different waves offensively. For the most part, Toronto is healthy as well, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic' implements a selfless game plan whenever the team has the rock in their possession. Be on the lookout for names like Scottie Barnes, and Pascal Siakam to put some points up on the scoreboard from the opening tip.
All in all, Toronto's chances to come out victorious and have the last laugh will be all for not if they are unable to hit some shots from deep. At a glance, Toronto is only connecting on 35% of their three-point attempts which is far below league average. In fact, this is only the 24th-best mark in all of the Association. At the end of the day, the Raptors are going to live and die by the three, and getting hot from trey land may be just what the doctor ordered to treat the fans with a rare win.
Final Magic-Raptors Prediction & Pick
Although intensity will be high for this conference showdown, these two teams could not be heading in more opposite directions. Simply put, the Magic are more put together at this point in time than how the Raptors are currently constructed. Because of this, it would be wise to put some cold hard cash on Orlando to get off to a good start on the road and spend no time looking back.
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Final Magic-Raptors Prediction & Pick: Magic -8.5 (-106)
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