Magic vs Knicks Prediction NBA Picks 3/8/24

New York Knicks (36-26) vs Orlando Magic (37-26)

Game Info: Friday, March 8, 2024 at 7:30 pm (Madison Square Garden)

Betting Odds: New York Knicks -1 -- Over/Under: 210

The Orlando Magic take a trip to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks on Friday night. Here’s a Magic vs Knicks Prediction.

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have been in red-hot form as they've won eight of their last nine games overall and they will be gunning for a sixth straight victory after routing the Wizards in a 119-109 road win on Wednesday. Franz Wagner led the team with 28 points, Paolo Banchero added 25 points with 10 assists while Jalen Suggs chipped in with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Magic shot 54 percent from the field and 12 of 26 from the 3-point line as they struggled to contain the Wizards early on and quickly found themselves trailing by 21 points, before they woke up with 66 points in the second half to make it look easy in the end.

New York Knicks

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks have been in terrible shape as they've lost eight of their last 11 games overall and they will be hoping to bounce back after getting thrashed by the Hawks in a 116-100 loss on Tuesday. Donte DiVincenzo led the team with 21 points and six assists, Bogdan Bogdanovic added 19 points off the bench while Precious Achiuwa chipped in with 15 points. As a team, the Knicks shot just 38 percent from the field and 16 of 52 from the 3-point line as they got off to a horror start and had to claw their way back from an early 22-point deficit, but they could never take the lead and eventually ran out of gas in the fourth quarter where the Hawks ran away with it.

New York Knicks Player Facts

• Isaiah Hartenstein rank 23rd amongst qualified players for steals + blocks per game (2.2) this season.
• Precious Achiuwa ranks T43rd amongst qualified players for Blocks Per Game (0.9) this season.

Orlando Magic Player Facts

• Paolo Banchero is one of only three players in the league to be leading his team for points, rebounds and assists this season.
• Jalen Suggs ranks 3rd in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for steals per game (1.4) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Knicks ranks 30th in the league for pace this season (96.0).
• The Knicks ranks 1st in the league for rebound percentage this season (52.9%).
• The Magic rank 1st in the league for opponent assists per game this season (24.1).
• The Magic rank 1st in the league for opponent rebounds per game this season (40.0).

Magic vs Knicks Prediction

The Magic could be shorthanded once again with Wendell Carter Jr listed as questionable, while the Knicks are still missing OG Anunoby and Julius Randle with Jalen Brunson listed as questionable. The Magic have quietly been one of the hottest teams in the league as they've barely missed a step in their last nine games and they just erased a 21-point deficit to beat the Wizards in hteir last game, while the Knicks are mired in their worst slump of the season and they could be missing most of the starting lineup in this one. I'm slightly surprised that the Knicks have opened as favorites here, so I'm just going with the Magic who have clearly been the team in better form lately.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.