Bill Yin breaks down his prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks.
The 32-28 Magic will host the 21-40 Mavericks tonight at 7 PM EST. The Magic are still without Franz Wagner and have listed Anthony Black, Wendell Carter Jr., and Jonathan Isaac as Questionable. The Mavericks will be without Kyrie Irving and Marvin Bagley III, while Cooper Flagg and Brandon Williams are listed as Questionable.
The Magic are 7.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 230.5 points.
Magic vs. Mavericks prediction, preview
Dallas has been in rough shape over their last ten games, posting 109.3 OFFRTG and 119.9 DEFRTG, basically requiring a near-perfect shooting night just to stay competitive. Cooper Flagg has been one of the bright spots of the Mavs’ season, putting up a respectable 20.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 4.1 APG on 48.2% shooting from the floor. He’s leading the ROTY race alongside Hornets’ sensation Kon Knueppel and looks poised to be an All-Star for years to come. Flagg is Questionable tonight due to a foot injury, but he’s one of Dallas’ most consistent scorers and the Mavs will miss his two way contributions. Naji Marshall has also put up a nice season for the Mavs, averaging a career-high 15.4 PPG and recently putting up a massive 36 point, 10 rebound double double against the Kings. The Mavs will likely end up playing some ugly basketball tonight without most of their best players, resulting in a lot of late-clock jumpers.
Orlando’s season has been more coherent. In their last ten, they’ve gone 6-4 with a 113.9 OFFRTG and 109 DEFRTG. This is a defensive-minded team with strong defenders at multiple positions. Paolo Banchero has struggled this season, however, with 22.1 PPG and 8.4 RPG with 5 APG. Banchero’s shooting 45.9% from the field and a putrid 31.2% from three. Orlando is eager to see some improvement from Banchero from the efficiency standpoint. Newly acquired Desmond Bane has, however, had a good season so far with 20.2 PPG in this first season in Florida. With Franz Wagner out and Anthony Black listed as Questionable, Bane will have to shoulder a heavy load tonight.
Magic vs. Mavericks pick, best bet
Best Bet: Magic -6.5 (-115)
The Magic have an easy matchup tonight against a crippled Mavericks team, and they should have an easy team covering the spread tonight due to their strong defense. The Mavericks haven’t been strong on defense lately, either, with an appalling 119.9 DEFRTG in their last 10.