Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for Sunday’s Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers NBA matchup.

Closing down tonight’s 11-game NBA slate, the Orlando Magic will face off with the Los Angeles Clippers.

This is the second and final matchup between these two cross-conference teams this season. They first faced off on November 20th, which resulted in a 129-101 Magic victory. Kawhi Leonard and Paolo Banchero each missed this matchup, and plenty else has changed on this Clippers roster since this point.

Looking at the odds for tonight’s game, the Clippers are narrow 1.5-point favorites and hold -125 odds on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Magic are +105 underdogs with the game total set at 214.5 points.

This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Sunday night matchup.

Magic vs. Clippers prediction, preview

The Orlando Magic hold a 29-26 record and sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They have gone 1-1 since returning from the All-Star break, with a victory over the Kings and a double overtime loss to the Suns thus far. On the season, Orlando has gone 23-32 against the spread, and the game total is 28-27 to the over/under.

Franz Wagner remains sidelined with his ankle injury, and Jalen Suggs is questionable with a back injury tonight. Paolo Banchero headlines the scoring effort for Orlando, posting averages of 21.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. Desmond Bane adds 19.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists of his own as the prized offseason addition, while Anthony Black has scaled up his production this season by adding 16.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds. Wendell Carter Jr., Tristan Da Silva, and Goga Bitadze also play key roles in the rotation.

As a team, the Magic are scoring 115.3 points per game, which ranks 19th in the NBA. Orlando also ranks 18th in offensive rating, 20th in field goal percentage, and 24th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 114.8 points per game against the Magic. This ranks 14th in the league, and they also rank 13th in defensive rating, 21st in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 15th in opponents’ three-point percentage.

The Los Angeles Clippers are 27-29 this season and sit in ninth place in the Western Conference. They suffered a 125-122 loss to the Lakers in their previous game, but defeated the Nuggets 115-114 in their first game back from the All-Star break. The Clippers have gone 29-27 against the spread, and the game total has remained under in 29 of their 56 games played.

Bradley Beal remains out for the season, while Darius Garland is considered week-to-week, and John Collins is sidelined for tonight. Kawhi Leonard is considered questionable with an ankle injury. Leonard headlines the production for Los Angeles, posting averages of 27.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Bennedict Mathurin was the most notable trade deadline addition, after the organization elected to trade away James Harden and Ivica Zubac. Mathurin is averaging 22.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in his first four games in Los Angeles. Derrick Jones Jr., Bogdan Bogdanovic, Brook Lopez, Kris Dunn, and Jordan Miller also play important roles on this team.

The Clippers average 112.1 points per game, which ranks 27th in the NBA. They rank 12th in offensive rating, eighth in team field goal percentage, 10th in team three-point percentage, and 28th in the league in pace. Defensively, opponents are scoring the ninth-fewest points per game at 112.6 on average. Los Angeles also ranks 19th in defensive rating, 12th in opponent field goal percentage, and 26th in opponent three-point percentage.

Magic at Clippers pick, best bet

Neither of these teams is thrilled with their outlook on the season relative to expectations. The Clippers had looked as if they turned a corner and joined the competitive Western Conference playoff mix. But they elected to make some significant trades at the deadline to change their trajectory, with James Harden and Ivica Zubac now suiting up elsewhere. In contrast, the Magic have struggled to get fully healthy at any point this year. Even more concerning, they have struggled to maximize the team’s ability when Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero are both on the floor.

But looking at tonight’s matchup, expect the Clippers to defend their home court and get the victory at home. Kawhi Leonard has once again showcased why he is on the shortlist of best players in the league and is playing some of the best basketball of his career. He poured in 31 points in 31 minutes in the previous matchup against the Lakers, but did not have quite enough help from the rest of the supporting cast to get the result.

Expect this to be different against a Magic team that struggles to score the ball themselves and is playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Not only was it just a back-to-back, but Orlando went to double overtime in Phoenix and then had to immediately fly to Los Angeles for the third game in this road trip. The Magic are 10-16 on the road this season and 5-7 ATS as road underdogs this year. Fatigue will be a factor for this Magic team, and the margin for error for their level of play is not particularly high.

Expect points to be difficult to come by on both sides of this matchup and for both defenses to have success. But as this game gets to crunch time in an expected close game, Leonard will be the most talented and experienced shot maker trusted to steer his team home. Keep an eye on the injury report leading up to tip-off regarding Leonard’s availability, but he has showcased his ability to lift this Clippers’ team to wins all year, and expect this to be the case tonight against a vulnerable Magic team.

Best Bet: Clippers Moneyline (-125)