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The Orlando Magic will face the Utah Jazz on Friday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Magic-Jazz prediction and pick.
These two teams have had completely opposite seasons. The Magic are one of, if not the, worst team in the entire NBA. They've won a grand total of 13 games this season, the second-least in the league. It's been hard to find any positives in their play, but this season was always expected to be a rebuilding season. Meanwhile, the Jazz have been one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Shooting guard Donovan Mitchell has led his team to a 34-21 record and the fourth seed in the west. This is a great opportunity for the Jazz to continue their winning ways and continue the campaign for home court in the playoffs.
Here are the Magic-Jazz NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Magic-Jazz Odds
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Orlando Magic: +13.5 (-110)
Utah Jazz: -13.5 (-110)
Over: 222.5 (-110)
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Under: 222.5 (-110)
Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread
While the Magic have obviously been completely incapable of winning games, they haven't been nearly as unsuccessful at covering the spread. Orlando hasn't exactly been great at that either, but they at least have a winning record against the spread when they play on the road. The Jazz have actually been pretty poor at covering in situations like this, as they own an 11-18 record ATS when they enter the game as a home favorite. This is a sneakily good spot to pick the Magic to cover.
Utah is also dealing with a couple injuries in this game, making things a little easier on Orlando. All-Star center Rudy Gobert is questionable for this game along with backup forward Rudy Gay. Gobert is obviously a key piece of everything Utah does, so his absence would be huge. Hassan Whiteside and Royce O'Neale will be forced to play tons of minutes in this one, which should have a big impact on the final score.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
Utah has every single statistical advantage in this game. The Magic rank inside the bottom ten in the NBA in almost every offensive category. The Jazz are one of the best defensive teams in the league. Orlando is a poor defensive team, and Utah has some of the best offensive numbers in the NBA. The Jazz shoot an incredible 57% from inside the arc and 36% from three point range. The Magic have been unable to stop anyone throughout the season, so it's fair to expect the Jazz to dominate offensively here.
The Magic have their fair share of injuries here. Starting shooting guard Jalen Suggs is questionable for this game, and point guard RJ Hampton has already been ruled out. Power forward Moritz Wagner has also been ruled out of this contest. Hampton and Wagner play important roles off of the Magic bench, and Suggs is one of the most important players on the team. All of those absences will a role in Friday's matchup.
Final Magic-Jazz Prediction & Pick
The Magic are the best pick on the board, even with all of their injuries in play. The Jazz have been terrible at covering in games like this, and this spread is just a couple of points too big.
Final Magic-Jazz Pick: Orlando Magic: +13.5 (-110)
