Keagan Smith dives into his pick and prediction for the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Orlando Magic game on Wednesday’s NBA slate.

Two Eastern Conference foes battle in Orlando tonight as the Magic take on the Milwaukee Bucks at 7 p.m. EST. While it’s been an incredibly rough season for the visitors, the home team does enter this outing on a three-game winning streak with hopes of gaining ground in the conference standings heading into the All-Star break. Plus, Orlando has just received much-needed reinforcements.

Here’s a Bucks vs. Magic prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Wednesday’s game.

Bucks vs. Magic prediction, preview

Milwaukee Bucks

At 21-30, the Bucks have experienced a disaster of a campaign thus far. Injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and a looming trade saga put a damper on the organization, which is just 6-15 when its superstar doesn’t suit up. Thankfully for Milwaukee, most of the roster is available to play today beyond the Greek star, though Ryan Rollins (foot) is questionable on the injury report.

The Bucks sit 23rd in pace and with a -4.1 NETRTG on the year, good for 24th in the NBA. In games Antetokounmpo has missed this season, the Bucks score just 107.8 PPG, which would rank second-worst in the NBA. On/off splits are telling, with a 120.8 OFFRTG dropping all the way to 107.1 when he’s off the court. Milwaukee does have a 48.1% shooting percentage (fifth) and 39.2% three-point percentage (second) on the year, but those marks drop to 46.0% and 37.8% when Antetokounmpo is off the court. The Bucks are middle-of-the-pack with 26.2 assists per game and the 17th-ranked AST/TO ratio, too. They pull down just 40.9 rebounds per game (28th), while the defense allows 115.8 PPG to opponents as well (16th).

Milwaukee will lean on its guards for offense tonight. Kevin Porter Jr. produces 17.5 points and 7.5 assists per game, while Rollins averages 16.9 points with 5.5 assists with a 40.7% 3P%. Frontcourt staple Bobby Portis scores 13.3 points with 6.6 rebounds, also connecting on a staggering 45.6% of his attempts from downtown. Myles Turner posts 12.9 points and 5.7 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma pitches in 12.8 points with 5.0 boards. Guard A.J. Green is the team’s final scorer in double-figures with 10.6 PPG and a 43.2% 3P%.

Orlando Magic

At seventh in the Eastern Conference, the Magic aren’t nearly in the position the franchise likely expected prior to the season’s start. Yes, a 28-24 record leaves room for improvement, but Orlando comes off three straight victories and just returned star forward Franz Wagner to the lineup on Monday after a long absence. His presence will pay dividends for a team in need of extra oomph on the offensive side of things.

Orlando sits 13th in pace and 16th in NETRTG at at neutral 0.0. The Magic score 115.2 PPG (18th), shooting 46.3% overall (19th) and a league-worst 34.0% from three. They dish out 26.3 assists per game (15th) with the 12th-ranked AST/TO ratio, too. One aspect to note is that Orlando actually leads the NBA in free throw attempts and makes per outing, shooting 27.2 per outing. Plus, yet another positive is that this team ranks seventh in both fastbreak points and points in the paint per game. The Magic also pull down an average of 43.5 rebounds (18th), allowing 115.2 PPG to opponents (14th) as well.

The return of Wagner is a massive deal given that his 21.9 PPG marks a team-high, also pitching in 6.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists a night. He also shoots 37.3% from three-point range, adding a reliable creator from the perimeter to take pressure off his teammates. Paolo Banchero is second on the roster with 21.4 PPG, and his 8.5 rebounds are also a team-best. Desmond Bane rounds out the big three of sorts with 19.4 PPG. However, one player who hasn’t gotten enough shine this season is third-year guard Anthony Black, who averages a career-best 16.1 points in a key role. Behind him, Jalen Suggs produces 14.0 points with a team-best 5.4 assists, while Wendell Carter Jr. provides 11.7 points and 7.3 boards.

Bucks vs. Magic pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Magic as -10.5 home favorites tonight with -535 odds on the Moneyline. The Bucks are +400 ML underdogs with the game total set at 219.5 points. Betting splits show 84% of straight wagers on Orlando to win with 60% picking the over on the total.

Frankly, this game probably won’t be close. The 10.5-point spread is fairly wide, but if Rollins doesn’t suit up for Milwaukee, it may be even more difficult for the Bucks to pull off an upset. They fell to this same Magic squad 118-99 on Monday. In that game, Bane produced 25 points while Black scored 26 — meanwhile, Wagner scored 14 in just 17 minutes of action and Banchero fell short with just 11 over a full share of action. Those numbers may level out a little more tonight and Wagner will likely still operate on a minutes restriction, but Banchero will likely play a far better game here.

The Magic have plenty of firepower, but Wagner could be the answer to the uninspiring offense we’ve seen in his absence. There’s a differential of +3.7 in NETRTG when he’s on the floor vs. off this season, and his ability to impact a game on both sides of the ball should not only take pressure off of Banchero, but open things up for others as well. The team’s spacing should improve, which could make life a little bit easier for everyone else to work when getting downhill towards the basket.

With the Bucks’ struggles without Antetokounmpo pretty difficult to understate and the Magic back at full strength, Orlando should win in commanding fashion once more tonight. Milwaukee simply doesn’t have the pieces to keep up, especially with the offense largely disjointed in the absence of its star.

Top pick: ORL Magic -10.5 (-115)