The Milwaukee Bucks will look to snag their third straight win when they head to Kia Center to take on the injury-riddled Orlando Magic.
While Paolo Banchero is expected to make his first appearance since late October, Orlando is still without two of its Top 3 scorers in Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, who find themselves on the injury list.
Meanwhile, the Bucks have run up the score in their last two wins, and I’ll be looking for them to keep rolling and cover the spread in my Bucks vs. Magic predictions and NBA picks for Friday, January 10.
Bucks vs Magic prediction
My best bet
Bucks -5.5 (-130 at bet365)
My analysis
Tonight’s matchup brings a tale of two very different offenses as the Milwaukee Bucks come in averaging nearly 125 points per game over their last two outings, while the Orlando Magic are the NBA’s lowest-scoring team this season (104.8 ppg).
To make matters worse for the hosts, they’ll be without two key offensive pieces in Franz Wagner (oblique) and Jalen Suggs (back), though Paolo Banchero is expected to make his return to the lineup after suffering a torn oblique in late October.
Still, it’s hard to say how much of an impact the power forward will make — or how many minutes he’ll be able to play — after more than two months off the court.
Since the calendar turned to 2025, the Magic are averaging just 99.3 points per game, and I don’t know if Banchero will give them enough of a boost to keep up with a well-rounded Bucks offense.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has had a sluggish start to the new year by his standards with just 23.5 points per game over four contests, but depth scorers like AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. have stepped up their scoring to help fill that gap.
Despite Giannis’ drop off, the Bucks’ scoring rate in January (115.3 ppg) is actually higher than their season average (113 ppg), and we know the Greek Freak can pop off for 30+ points on any given night.
Milwaukee has covered the spread in two straight games, while each of the Bucks’ last 11 wins have finished with at least a 5-point differential. Meanwhile, Orlando is just 2-6 ATS in its last eight contests.
Bucks vs Magic same-game parlay
Bucks -5.5
Under 210.5
Giannis Antetokounmpo 20+ points
I like the Bucks to cover the spread but I think it’ll mostly be by virtue of the Magic’s inability to score, which could produce a pretty low-scoring game.
Outside of Banchero, who will be a wild card in his first game back, Orlando has no players in tonight’s lineup averaging at least 10 points per game. The Under is also 8-1 in Orlando’s last nine games and 6-3 in Milwaukee’s last nine.
But if there is one reliable scorer tonight, it’s Antetokounmpo. The Bucks star has scored 25+ points in 16 of his last 17 contests.
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Bucks vs Magic odds
Bucks vs Magic live odds
Bucks vs Magic opening odds
- Spread: Milwaukee -4 | Orlando +4
- Moneyline: Milwaukee -168 | Orlando +148
- Over/Under: Over 209.5 | Under 209.5
Odds courtesy of bet365
Bucks vs Magic spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Bucks opened as a 4-point favorite but that number got pushed up to 6.5 across the board by Friday morning. The Bucks are (6-7 ATS) over their last 13 games while the Magic are 1-4 (0-5 ATS) in their last five home contests.
- Milwaukee has dominated this matchup over the past several years, winning 17 of the last 19 meetings overall and 11 of the last 13 in Orlando.
- The total opened at 209.5 points with Orlando cashing the Under in 61.5% of its games and Milwaukee doing so in 58.3% of its contests.
Bucks vs Magic trend
The Bucks have covered the 2Q Spread in 16 of their last 23 games (+7.85 Units / 30% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Bucks vs. Magic.
How to watch Bucks vs Magic
| Location: | Kia Center, Orlando, Florida |
| Date: | Friday, 1-10-2025 |
| Tip-off: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FDSN |
Bucks vs Magic latest injuries
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