Keagan Smith dives into his pick and prediction for the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Orlando Magic game on Tuesday’s NBA slate.

The Orlando Magic had a seven-game winning streak snapped last night, and they now host the reigning champions on the second leg of a back-to-back. Whew. The Oklahoma City Thunder are winners of eight straight themselves and have the best road record in the NBA, so this should be quite the battle between playoff-bound squads.

Here’s a Thunder vs. Magic prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Tuesday’s contest.

Thunder vs. Magic prediction, preview

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder remain atop the entire league with a 53-15 record on the campaign, and as mentioned in the intro, they’ve won eight straight contests heading into tonight. A +10.8 NETRTG ranks first in the NBA and the team sits 18th in pace as well.

Oklahoma City’s two-way prowess is undeniable at this point. The Thunder average 118.5 PPG and shoot 48.1% from the field, both of which rank fifth around the league. They hit 36.0% of their three-point attempts as well, and while their 25.5 assists are just middling, a 2.052 AST/TO ratio also falls fifth. While the unit sits only 16th in rebounding with 43.8 boards per game, that doesn’t mean they’re bad on defense by any means. OKC allows the second-fewest PPG at just 107.7 and ranks No. 1 in DEFRTG at that. Opponents have the second-worst eFG% against the Thunder at just 51.6% while averaging the second-most turnovers as well.

Jalen Williams is out tonight with a hamstring issue, but the injury report is mostly clean otherwise. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is likely on his way to another MVP with 31.6 points and 6.7 assists per game and a staggering 54.9% FG% that only cements his scoring ability. Chet Holmgren brings 17.3 points, plus 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, and fellow big man Isaiah Hartenstein pitches in 9.9 points with 9.3 rebounds. Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain both bring double-digit scoring, as do Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.

Orlando Magic

At 38-29, the Magic have put forth an excellent run of play while weathering the absence of Franz Wagner and Anthony Black. They’d won seven straight games before last night’s loss and gotten up to fifth in the Eastern Conference, and a NETRTG of +1.4 sits 13th while the team comes in at 15th in pace.

Orlando is solid on both ends. The Magic average 115.6 PPG with top-10 marks in fastbreak points and points in the paint. While a 46.4% FG% isn’t anything special, nor is a 34.5% 3P%, they do get to the charity stripe more than any other team in the league. They’re also fairly clean in playmaking with 26.5 assists and a 1.943 AST/TO ratio that ranks 10th. The other side of the ball is where they shine, holding opponents to 114.2 PPG with the ninth-best DEFRTG. Opponents have a 54.1% eFG% that sits 12th with the fourth-most turnovers when facing Orlando. The Magic are also 15th in rebounding with 43.8 per contest.

Paolo Banchero has carried the load well for this group since the All-Star break, bumping his scoring average to 25.0 PPG from 22.2 PPG on the season. He also posts 8.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists as well. Desmond Bane has brought 20.6 points and 4.2 assists per game, shooting 38.7% from deep. Jalen Suggs produces 13.9 points and 5.3 assists per contest, and starting center Wendell Carter Jr. pitches in 11.8 points with 7.6 rebounds. Tristan Da Silva has also taken on a larger role as of late, but it’s worth noting that Jonathan Isaac remains sidelined.

Thunder vs. Magic pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Thunder as -9.5 road favorites tonight with -455 odds on the Moneyline. The Magic are listed at +350 odds on the ML with the game total set at 222.5 combined points.

The Magic are 30-37 ATS this season overall and a surprising 14-18 ATS when playing at home. The Thunder, meanwhile, are 32-36 ATS but 16-16 ATS on the road. The 9.5-point spread is maybe just a little wide given the fight that Orlando’s shown in recent weeks, but this is a very difficult OKC team to face on night two of a back-to-back. There are likely some tired legs for the Magic, which dampens the outlook some to begin with. Once you factor in the defensive matchup with Holmgren likely seeing a lot of Banchero, perhaps the star scorer’s upside could be limited as well.

The Magic just don’t have as much firepower throughout their lineup with Wagner and Black sidelined. This might be another story, but it’s simply tough to see them hanging closely with the Thunder on no rest while missing two of their four best scoring options.

Top pick: OKC Thunder -9.5 (-115)