Brooklyn Nets vs. Orlando Magic Prediction, Preview, and Odds

A pair of Eastern Conference teams trying to earn a victory take the floor down in the Sunshine State. The Brooklyn Nets are on the road as they make the trip to face the Orlando Magic Sunday evening. Brooklyn was in action on the road against Miami Saturday evening in the front game of a back-to-back situation. The Nets faded late as they were beaten 116-114 by Cleveland at home Thursday night, though they did cover the line as a 3.5-point underdog. Orlando dropped the Knicks 111-106 at home Thursday night in their previous game, winning outright as a 2.5-point underdog. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Magic own a 68-57 advantage but the Nets have won the last two meetings. That includes a 109-102 home victory in the lone meeting this season back on November 28, 2022.

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Brooklyn Nets Playing Second Game of Back-to-Back on the Road

Brooklyn was in action down in South Beach Saturday night as they faced Miami in a battle of teams battling for playoff position. The Nets entered Saturday 39-34 on the season and were fourth in the Atlantic Division, 11.5 games behind the Celtics for the top spot. They were seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, half a game behind the Heat to maintain a guaranteed playoff spot and 6.5 games clear of 11-place Indiana to at least remain in the play-in tournament. Brooklyn is 6-6 in the second game of back-to-back situations this season and they have been outscored by 1.8 points per game (114.6 ppg for, 116.4 ppg against) in those contests. The Nets are 20-18 on the road despite being outscored by 2.2 points per game (113.2 ppg for, 115.4 ppg against) on the year. Brooklyn is 26-20 against Eastern Conference teams with an even point differential (112.7 ppg for, 112.7 ppg against) entering Saturday’s action.

The Nets enter this game 20 in the league in scoring offense as they average 113.3 points per game on the year. Brooklyn is 29 in the league in rebounding with 40.4 boards per contest and 13 in assists by dishing out 25.3 dimes a night. The Nets are 14 in the league in scoring defense by allowing 112.9 points per contest. Mikal Bridges leads the team with 19.3 points plus 4.4 rebounds per game this season. Spencer Dinwiddie (17.8 points, 6.1 assists), Cameron Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds), Nic Claxton (12.5 points, 9.2 rebounds) and Royce O’Neale (8.9 points) each are solid scoring options as well. The Nets look to get production from Patty Mills, Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, Seth Curry (9.6 points), Day’Ron Sharpe, Edmond Sumner, Cam Thomas (10.3 points), Dorian Finney-Smith and Yuta Watanabe. Brooklyn is 4 in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 49% from the field as a team on the year. The Nets are 9 in the league in three-point field goals per game as they drain 12.7 triples per game while they stand 4 in three-point field goal percentage by hitting 38.1% from beyond the arc.

Simmons (knee) last took the floor on February 15 against the Heat. It was announced on Friday that he has a nerve impingement in his back and has no timetable for return to action. Curry (personal) was slated to miss Saturday’s game against the Heat so watch for any information regarding his return.

Orlando Magic Seek Third Straight Win

Orlando won their second straight and their third in the last four games as they took down the Knicks at home Thursday night. The Magic entered Saturday night fourth in the Southeast Division, nine games behind the Heat for the top spot. In the East, the team was 13, 22.5 games behind Milwaukee for the top spot and nine games behind the Heat for the final guaranteed playoff spot. They were 4.5 games behind the Bulls for the final spot in the play-in tournament. Against New York, Orlando led by two after the opening quarter and opened the second quarter with a 22-5 run to take a 46-27 lead with 5:37 to play in the first half. The Magic let that slip away as their lead was eight at intermission and the game was even after three quarters. Orlando regrouped in the fourth quarter, opening the stanza with a 13-5 run to take an 88-80 lead, and hung on for the victory. The Magic shot 46% from the floor, including 13 of 32 from three-point range, and held the Knicks to 42% shooting in the game. Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 21 points and six rebounds in the win.

The Magic enter this game 26 in the league in scoring offense as they average 111.7 points per game on the season. Orlando is 18 in the league in rebounding with 42.9 rebounds per contest while they are 26 in assists by dishing 23 dimes a night. The Magic are 17 in the league in scoring defense by allowing 114.3 points per contest. Paolo Banchero paces the Magic as he averages 20 points plus 6.7 rebounds a night on the season. Cole Anthony contributes 11.4 points, 4.5 rebounds plus 4.3 assists a game while Franz Wagner chips in 18.7 points, four rebounds and 3.6 dimes a contest. Wendell Carter Jr. (15.6 points, 8.9 rebounds), Jalen Suggs (9.7 points, 3.2 assists), Moritz Wagner (11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds) and Bol Bol (nine points, 5.8 rebounds) are solid contributors. Gary Harris (8.7 points), Markelle Fultz (14 points, 5.7 assists), Jonathan Isaac, Caleb Houstan, Chuma Okeke, R.J. Hampton and Kevon Harris all have to contribute for the Magic. Orlando is 20 in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 47.1% from the field on the year. The Magic is 26 in the league in threes per game as they hit 10.7 triples a night while they are 24 in three-point shooting by hitting 34.7% from beyond the arc.

Suggs (concussion) last took the floor on March 16 against the Suns: watch for any updates on his status. Isaac (hamstring) suffered a torn adductor February 23 against the Pistons and is done for the year.

Best Bets for this Game

Full-Game Side Bet

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Brooklyn is playing the second game of a back-to-back here and their third game in four nights. The Nets have a bit of a depleted roster after dealing away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving ahead of the trade deadline. While the pieces the Nets got in return are solid players, they were secondary pieces on their previous teams. Dinwiddie was playing second fiddle to Luka Doncic in Dallas while Bridges and Johnson were on a Phoenix team with Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. There is no star player to lean on in crunch time for the Nets, which we saw was a problem in the loss to Cleveland Thursday. Orlando has hung around the playoff picture and have won three of their last four. The Magic has developed a decent rotation to work with and they have home court, along with a rest advantage. Give Orlando the edge in this contest.

Prediction: Orlando Magic -2

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Full-Game Total Pick

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Brooklyn went into Saturday’s game having seen the under post a 39-33-1 mark in their 73 games this season. The Nets are slightly below average in the league in tempo as they are 18th in the league with an average of 98.5 possessions a night. The Nets are 14th in turnovers as they commit an average of 13.9 turnovers per contest this season. Orlando has seen the over post a 37-37 mark this season entering this game. The Magic are an average team in tempo, ranking 14th in the league with 99.2 possessions a night this season. Orlando is 24th in the league in turnovers (15 per game) on the year. With the Nets gassed and the Magic not setting the world on fire offensively, this game winds up falling short of the total.

Prediction: Under

Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO.  If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career.  Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.