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The Orlando Magic kick off their weekend by making a trip to San Francisco to take on the Golden State Warriors on Saturday evening. Join us for our NBA odds series where our Magic-Warriors prediction and pick will be revealed.
Seeking a season-sweep of the defending champs after the Magic were able to edge the Warriors by one point back on Nov. 3rd, Orlando is fresh off of a home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and is looking to rebound in a big way. So far, the Magic have compiled a shaky 14-25 record but they have at least looked slightly improved at times than the team they had from a year ago.
Still, without the services of Stephen Curry, Golden State has had to find a way to survive without their all-time great point guard and has done an admiral job that included a five-game winning streak before going down in defeat 122-119 to the Detroit Pistons. Somehow, the Warriors have kept their heads above water with a 20-19 record and will look to get back on track this weekend.
Here are the Magic-Warriors NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Magic-Warriors Odds
Orlando Magic: +6.5 (-110)
Golden State Warriors: -6.5 (-110)
Over: 231 (-108)
Under: 231 (-112)
How To Watch Magic vs. Warriors
TV: Bally Sports Florida/NBC Sports Bay Area
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 4:30 ET/1:30 PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread
For starters, the biggest reason the youthful Orlando Magic can cover the spread will be in large part due to the team's combined effort to overthrow the champs from a year ago. This happened to be the case when Orlando was able to stun Golden State with seven players scoring in double-figures in the victory. While a repeat of this type of performance won't be an easy task, this roster has more depth than one would think.
After the intense melee that ensued between the Magic and Pistons that saw nine Orlando players serve suspensions. Now back at full strength, Orlando will need to look to get their rookie first-round pick in Paolo Banchero going from the tip. On paper, Ranchero is Orlando's leading scorer with 21.3 PPG and is also coming off a strong performance in which he dropped 30 points on 50% from the floor.
In addition, the Magic must figure out how to limit the turnovers in order to maximize every single offensive possession they receive. Through the team's first 39 games of the season, the Magic average nearly 15 turnovers per contest which cannot be close to being matched if Orlando wants a legit shot at shocking the champs on the road.
Why The Warriors Could Cover The Spread
Surprisingly enough, the Warriors are getting by while Curry continues to heal from a left-shoulder ailment. In fact, others have had to step up in a big way and have delivered when called upon the most. Not only has Curry been dealing with a lingering setback, but guys like Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, and JaMychal Green are injured themselves which has made life that much more difficult to navigate for a short-handed Golden State Warriors. The good news, Wiggins is probable for tonight.
Golden State has been up for the challenge as it has been the stellar play of Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole. Clearly, the top two players on the roster with all of the injuries, it was the miraculous effort from Thompson in the team's most recent win over the Hawks when he scored a whopping 56 points in the double-overtime win. No doubt, it was a vintage performance from Thompson as there aren't many players in the league that can score at will like the savvy vet out of Washington State. Thompson's partner-in-crime has been acting like the third splash brother as well as Jordan Poole is actually Golden State's leading scorer at 20.6 PPG.
Getting off to a strong start and eliminating any early-game confidence that the Magic could garner will prove to be critical as the game wears on, so expect the Warriors to entertain their fans with a frenzy of buckets throughout the evening. Despite Golden State possessing only an 18-20 record against the spread this season, they are indeed the better team on paper despite the injury bug hitting them hard.
Final Magic-Warriors Prediction & Pick
There is a decent chance that the Magic are able to sneak out of Chase center with a gratifying spread-covering victory, but the Warriors still have championship pieces that will be tough to overcome especially in front of their home fans.
Final Magic-Warriors Prediction & Pick: Warriors -6.5 (-110)
