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The Orlando Magic take on the Denver Nuggets. Check out our NBA odds series for our Magic Nuggets prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Magic Nuggets.
The Orlando Magic are ending a five-game Western road trip in Denver. They are 2-2 on that trip, having beaten the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers while losing to the Sacramento Kings and the Utah Jazz. The Magic are learning how to play this season. They are building a foundation for the future with luminous young talents who will be expected to make a serious run at the playoffs and more in future seasons. This season, the Magic aren't completely out of the playoffs — they are three games out of the play-in round entering Sunday — but there is an awareness that this is a young team which is trying to cultivate the right habits and responses. In the first month and a half of the season, there wasn't a whole lot of progress, but in the past month and a half, the Magic have definitely grown up. They went on a long winning streak. They won consecutive games against the Celtics in Boston. They are getting better at finishing games. They are realizing what it takes to play 48-minute games instead of caving in midway through the fourth quarter, as so many young (and bad) teams do. This is yet another step on their journey toward NBA relevance.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Magic-Nuggets NBA odds.
NBA Odds: Magic-Nuggets Odds
Orlando Magic: +10.5 (-110)
Denver Nuggets: -10.5 (-110)
Over: 234 (-108)
Under: 234 (-112)
How To Watch Magic vs. Nuggets
TV: Altitude, Bally Sports Florida
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. PT
Article Continues Below
*Watch Magic-Nuggets LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why The Magic Could Cover the Spread
The Magic have Paolo Banchero, and no one else does. Banchero looks like the real deal, not only an All-Star-caliber player in his rookie season, but someone who understands basketball at an elemental level and who will be able to carry himself through the league as an All-Star for a very long time. Banchero looks comfortable on the court. He is physically developed and will only get stronger and more polished as he goes along. Banchero has so many different tools, so many ways to break down defenses and put opposing players out of position. He already has a large domino effect on games, giving the Magic the kind of asset they have needed for a long time.
The other point to make about this game is that Nikola Jokic is coming off a wrist injury. Maybe he will be fine, and maybe this was just a precautionary measure by the Nuggets to sit him on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers, but if Jokic is ineffective to any real degree, it severely hurts the Nuggets, who utterly depend on him.
Why The Nuggets Could Cover the Spread
The Nuggets showed against the Clippers on Friday that they can do well in a pinch without Jokic. They obviously can't do much without him on an extended basis, but in one game for one night, they were able to function well. Jamal Murray is getting back into the flow of the NBA season, building back his body for what he hopes will be a strong playoff run. The Nuggets have been playing well of late. Before their win over the Clippers, they crushed the Phoenix Suns and have not played around with their food, as they often have tended to do in the past. The Nuggets do seem to be settling into a better, more stable winning pattern. The Magic are exhausted at the end of their long road trip, and they're playing at altitude.
Final Magic-Nuggets Prediction & Pick
This game is worth staying away from, but if you lean to one side, take the Magic, if only because one should see how healthy Nikola Jokic truly is when he takes the floor.
Final Magic-Nuggets Prediction & Pick: Magic +10.5
