Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic were one of the more disappointing teams in the first half of the NBA season, but they find themselves as huge road favorites on Thursday night in their first game out of the All-Star break.

Orlando is currently in the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference, and it’s going to have a hard time climbing out of that with Franz Wagner (ankle) now set to miss at least the next three weeks.

Orlando is just 12-13 in the 25 games that Wagner has missed this season. 

On Thursday, the Magic take on the 12-win Sacramento Kings, who have lost 14 games in a row and have the worst record in the NBA. The Kings are bad, and they weren’t even set up to tank entering this season. 

Now, they’ve lost Domantas Sabonis (meniscus) and Zach LaVine (hand) for the season after they underwent season-ending surgeries. 

That’s a huge blow for the Kings, who happen to be the worst team in the NBA against the spread (21-35) in the 2025-26 season. 

Orlando needs a win on Thursday, as it aims to get back into contention for a top-five seed in the East. Let’s examine the latest odds, some player prop targets and my prediction for Thursday’s contest. 

Magic vs. Kings Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Magic -8.5 (-112)Kings +8.5 (-108)

Moneyline

Total

223.5 (Over -110/Under -110)Magic vs. Kings How to WatchDate: Thursday, Feb. 19Time: 10:00 p.m. ESTVenue: Golden 1 CenterHow to Watch (TV): NBC Sports California, FanDuel Sports Network (Local)Magic record: 28-25Kings record: 12-44Magic vs. Kings Injury ReportsMagic Injury ReportFranz Wagner – outColin Castleton – outAlex Morales – outKings Injury ReportDomantas Sabonis – outZach LaVine – outDylan Cardwell – outDe’Andre Hunter – outIsaiah Stevens – outMagic vs. Kings Best NBA Prop BetsMagic Best NBA Prop BetDesmond Bane OVER 3.5 Assists (-162)

This season, Bane is averaging 4.2 assists on 7.6 potential assists per game, and now he takes on a Kings team that ranks 25th in the league in opponent assists per game.

While Bane isn’t the primary playmaker for this Magic offense, he should have more touches with Wagner (ankle) sidelined for at least the next three weeks. 

Bane is averaging 4.0 assists per game in the 25 games that Wagner has missed and has four or more dimes in 33 of his 53 appearances in the 2025-26 season.  

Magic vs. Kings Prediction and Pick

The Kings failed to crack 95 points in back-to-back games before the All-Star break with LaVine and Sabonis out of the lineup, and we could see more of the same down the stretch of the regular season.

Sacramento is just 28th in the league in offensive rating and 29th in effective field goal percentage, averaging 110.1 points per game – the second-fewest in the NBA.

Now, without two of their best offensive players, the Kings are facing an uphill battle to reach that number against this Orlando defense.

The Magic have had a down 2025-26 season compared to their preseason expectations, but they are still 14th in defensive rating and 15th in the league in opponent points per game. 

Rather than lay the points with Orlando, I’d much rather fade this Kings offense as they continue to tank for a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. 

Pick: Kings Team Total UNDER 107.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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