The Orlando Magic have a completely different look after the NBA trade deadline as they visit sunny Southern California to face the Los Angeles Lakers. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Magic-Lakers prediction and pick.
The Magic are officially in rebuilding season as they've traded away their stars in Nikola Vučević and Aaron Gordon. The team has lost two of their last eight games and is now currently sitting second-to-last in the eastern conference with a record of 15-30.
The Lakers continue to be without their stars, Lebron James and Anthony Davis. The team is coming off a huge win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday and are now sitting in the fourth seed with a record of 29-17.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Magic-Lakers odds.
NBA Odds: Magic-Lakers Odds
Orlando Magic +7.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers -7.5 (-110)
Over 208 Points (-110)
Under 208 Points(-110)
Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread
Despite losing both their stars, Vučević and Gordon, the Magic have also added some young pieces in Wendell Carter Jr., R.J. Hampton, and Otto Porter Jr. just to name a few.
These players could possibly see the floor Sunday night and the Magic will desperately need their offensive production. It's important to note that if these players do decide to suit up, it'll be the first time these players will be playing together and so the offensive and defensive should look extremely sloppy at times.
Despite losing Vučević, Gordon, and Evan Fournier, seven Magic players were able to score in double digits Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Magic will need a similar performance from all their players available to play if they want to cover the spread against a Lakers team who are also battling injury.
In general, the Magic team has the third-worst offensive rating and the tenth-worst defensive rating in the league.
The Lakers aren't a great offensive team without LeBron and Davis and so the worry for the Magic is not on the defensive end of the floor. Rather, the Magic will most likely find trouble scoring the ball with the healthy players currently available and against a Lakers team that also has the best defensive rating in the league.
The Magic will need a near-perfect performance on both ends of the floor especially big offensive performances from players, like MCW and Bacon, if they want to cover the spread against this Lakers team on Sunday.
Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread
The Lakers have just landed a big piece to their roster in Andre Drummond which will help the team tremendously while LeBron and Davis are out due to injury.
Currently, the Lakers are losing a combined 47.9 points, 10.9 assists, and 16.3 rebounds per game with LeBron and Davis out. Not to mention, everything else that those two brings to the team like closers, ball movement, confidence, and intensity.
Fortunate for the Lakers, they are likely to be facing an empty-handed Magic team on top of losing Vučević and Gordon. Nonetheless, the Lakers will need their key players in Dennis Schröder, Kyle Kuzma, and Montrezl Harrell to step it up. Each of them has been averaging double-digit points per game for the season but the Lakers will need much more from them like facilitating the ball, finding the open shot, and the defensive intensity.
Another problem that has plagued the Lakers has been the inconsistency of the starters and bench even without Lebron and Davis. Taking Kuzma for example, Kuzma had four points, 25 points, and 16 points in just the last three games.
As for the rest of the players off the bench, there are no expectations or certainties of what the Lakers can get from them on a night-to-night basis. Players on the roster like Talen Horton-Tucker, Alex Caruso, Markieff Morris, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could very well put up 16 points one night and zero points the next night.
The Lakers will need more consistent performances from all the players on the team while LeBron and Davis are out. They will be without their new addition, Drummond, and so for the Lakers to cover the spread they'll need to see Schröder, Kuzma, and Harrell to all have big performances against a potentially empty-handed Magic team.
Final Magic-Lakers Prediction & Pick
The Lakers are coming off a big win against the Cavaliers on Friday which was a huge confidence-booster for the team after four-straight losses without their stars in LeBron and Davis. Luckily, the Lakers are facing a Magic team on Sunday that has begun the rebuilding process. Even if the pieces that the Magic gained from the trades decide to suit up tonight, this will be the first time they will be playing together so some sloppy performance is expected. That said, the Lakers should cruise to a victory and also easily cover the spread against this Magic team on Sunday.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR MAGIC-LAKERS: ORL 90, LAL 106 (LAL -7.5)
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