The Orlando Magic have one game left to save their season, and they face the tall task of stopping the hottest team in the NBA over the second half of the campaign.
The Hornets won a thriller in an elimination game against the Heat, and the Magic put together another disappointing effort against the 76ers with a playoff spot on the line.
Now the Magic are home underdogs in a must-win game with the visiting Hornets favored by three points for Friday’s clash.
Hornets vs. Magic prediction, best bet
Trying to ascertain the attitude of a team can be tricky and often isn’t useful as a way of predicting the outcome of a game, but the vibes around the Magic are obviously not good. Things have been weird with this club since March.
They started the month with a seven-game win streak, followed that up with a six-game losing streak, then got blown out by the Hawks and Raptors down the stretch, two teams they were chasing in the playoff picture. Losing back-to-back games with a chance to clinch a playoff spot to the Celtics’ reserves and the 76ers without Joel Embiid was the icing on the cake.
Nothing about the Magic says playoff team. The offense isn’t consistently good enough to keep up with high-powered teams, and the defense went from second in the league last season to 14th this season with the same core of players.
The Hornets survived their first taste of meaningful basketball for the franchise since a first-round playoff series in 2016. It would be tough to list the number of unbelievable things that occurred on Tuesday in their play-in game, but one of the biggest takeaways was Brandon Miller’s play.
LaMelo Ball was predictably erratic, and Kon Knueppel was nowhere to be found, but Miller was a steady presence for the Hornets. He shot just 1-of-4 with one made 3-pointer in the first half, but finished the game with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor.
Betting on the NBA?
Miller was as effective hitting open shots as he was knocking down contested ones, and didn’t let a slow start affect him. Plus, his defense keeps him on the floor, which means he should have ample opportunities to score.
No team in the NBA has more wins on the road than the Hornets (19-6) since Jan. 1. I think they get the win and punch their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. I also like Brandon Miller over 20.5, which is almost exactly his season average and a number he has topped in more than half his games this season.
The Pick: Hornets -3 (-112, FanDuel) | Brandon Miller Over 20.5 (-115, FanDuel)
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Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.