The Detroit Pistons will take on the Orlando Magic on Thursday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Pistons-Magic prediction and pick.
This may not be the most exciting game on paper, but there's plenty to watch for here. The honor of being the worst team in the NBA is at stake in this one. The Pistons are currently 18-51, while the Magic are 18-52. Despite their incredibly similar records, it's clear that Detroit has been the better team. The Pistons have managed to play some good teams closely throughout the year, while the Magic have mainly been involved in a series of blowouts. Regardless of the talent level of these two teams, there are still bets to be made. Let's get into the pick.
Here are the Pistons-Magic NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Pistons-Magic Odds
Detroit Pistons: +2.5 (-110)
Orlando Magic: -2.5 (-110)
Over: 219 (-110)
Under: 219 (-110)
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Why The Pistons Could Cover The Spread
The Detroit defense has a chance to put forth a good performance in this one. The Pistons obviously haven't been great on that end of the floor, but that won't matter too much here given their opponent. The Magic have been absolutely terrible on offense, scoring only 104 points per game while ranking in the bottom five in nearly every single important offensive statistic. Detroit has at least been good at managing the pace of the game, as their opponents only manage to shoot 85 shots per game. That may be enough to slow down this abysmal Orlando offense.
Injuries have become a problem for the Magic. Starting shooting guard Jalen Suggs has already been ruled out for this game, and starting power forward Wendell Carter Jr. is questionable. Backup forward Chuma Okeke could also miss this contest with a knee injury. Unsurprisingly, the Magic aren't particularly deep to begin with, so these injuries could have a huge impact on the game. If the forwards are forced to miss this game, Orlando will be forced to start Moritz Wagner. That's not exactly a recipe for success, even against the Pistons.
Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread
The Magic aren't the only team in this matchup dealing with injuries. The Pistons have injuries at nearly every single position, including some key players. Forward Jerami Grant has already been ruled out of this game, along with key backups Frank Jackson and Hamidou Diallo. Starting shooting guard Cade Cunningham is also questionable. The Magic will be playing against a team that consists of players who would struggle to make any other NBA team. While Orlando isn't that far off from that themselves, they still have a big upper hand in this one.
Strangely, the Magic have fared well against the spread when they enter the game as a favorite. Orlando has only been the favorite in five games they've played, but they've covered in four of those. It helps that they'll play this game on their home floor. Detroit has been surprisingly good at covering the spread, but they only own a 17-17-1 record ATS on the road.
Final Pistons-Magic Prediction & Pick
This is a fairly easy pick. It's surprising that the Magic are such small favorites with all the injuries the Pistons are dealing with. Orlando should probably be a five-point favorite here, but the spread is much smaller. You won't hear this often, but lock in the Magic.
Final Pistons-Magic Pick: Orlando Magic: -2.5 (-110)
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