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The Orlando Magic will make a road trip to the “Alamo City” as they attempt to win back-to-back games for the first time since early February versus the lowly San Antonio Spurs. It is time to take a look at our NBA odds series where our Magic-Spurs prediction and pick will be made.
Fresh off of a thrilling 126-114 victory in overtime against the Miami Heat, the Magic improved to 28-40 overall. With wins in three of their previous seven games total, Orlando's playoff odds are all but not as they are mostly playing for pride at this point and to inhibit some much-needed confidence for a rather youthful roster for next season.
Finding themselves right in the thick of the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes with a porous 17-50 record, the Spurs were silenced by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday after remarkably defeating the top team out west in the Denver Nuggets the game before by a score of 128-120. Even though San Antonio isn't trying to lose games from here on out, their fans and maybe even the team's administration wouldn't mind seeing a few more losses to the record by the conclusion of the regular season.
Here are the Magic-Spurs NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Magic-Spurs Odds
Orlando Magic: -5 (-110)
San Antonio Spurs: +5 (-110)
Over: 232.5 (-110)
Under: 232.5 (-110)
How To Watch Magic vs. Spurs
TV: Bally Sports Florida
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread
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As it stands, the Magic's fleeting postseason dreams hang in the balance as they sit 3.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the tenth and final play-in spot. While the chances of Orlando returning to the postseason for the first time since the 2018-2019 season are slim to none, the expectation is that the Magic still should give everything the Spurs can handle on this Tuesday evening.
In order of Orlando to play fundamentally sound and cover the spread in doing so, they will need to use their youthful moxie to overwhelm San Antonio in all facets of the game. Alas, the encouraging first-year play from rookie Paolo Banchero has been a sight for sore eyes, especially with a Magic franchise that has been deprived of winning lately. Believe it or not, but Banchero is averaging 24.0 PPG over his last five games played and has quickly become a reliable scoring threat as Orlando's top scorer this season. Clearly, the Magic have not been very good on the road this season with a 12-21 road record, so they will need Banchero to be clicking on all cylinders to at least cover in this one.
Not to mention, but it would also be helpful if Orlando could capitalize on their trips to the free-throw line. In their win against Miami, the Magic connected on 17-20 free throws and remained aggressive in their pursuit to the basket all night long. In addition, Orlando rarely gave up any second-chance points by out-rebounding the Heat 54-35 as well, so keep an eye out if the Magic can take advantage of the Spurs on the glass en route to covering the five-point spread.
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
It is quite difficult to believe how bad the Spurs have been this season under long-time head coach Greg Popovich, as San Antonio over the years has been a proven winner including 22 consecutive postseason berths from 1998-2019. However, the last couple of seasons have been far from competitive, as the Spurs have slowly gotten worse with each passing year. Despite the Spurs having a historically bad season, San Antonio showcased that they still have what it takes to shock the basketball world in their win over the first-place Denver Nuggets, as they certainly would like to play similarly to that again to not only cover the spread but come away victorious as well.
For starters, the Spurs' injury report for tonight's action won't do them any favors, as a whopping six names are dealing with some sort of lingering injury. While one of those players happens to be leading scorer Keldon Johnson, the Spurs will need to avoid backbreaking turnovers that will only hurt San Antonio's chances of bringing excitement to their home fans at AT&T Center. Averaging 15 turnovers per game, the Spurs often do more harm to themselves than good, and with so many contributors possibly missing out on the action this evening, it will prove to be extremely vital for the Spurs to make the most of every single possession on offense.
Above all else, getting some stops on the defensive end of the floor wouldn't hurt either. At first glance, the Spurs give up the most points in the entire league, so making sure that they stick with their assignments will be key for a team that could not stop water from coming through a dam.
Final Magic-Spurs Prediction & Pick
While the Spurs are at home in this one, the Magic are the more desperate squad with their slim playoff hopes still on the line. It won't be pretty, but Orlando should have what it takes in this contest.
Final Magic-Spurs Prediction & Pick: Magic -5 (-110)
