Though they’ve played somewhat well in the wake of an injury to Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns carry a run of four losses in five games into the second night of a back-to-back tonight.
They’ll face the Orlando Magic, a team that is just 1-6 on the road and suffering through a big loss of their own with Paolo Banchero still sidelined.
My Magic vs. Suns predictions and NBA picks for Monday, November 18 believe the Magic's depth will be too much for the Suns to handle.
Magic vs Suns prediction
My best bet
Magic -4.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
I’ll admit, I watched some of the Orlando Magic earlier in the year and I wasn’t impressed. It was hard to see how this team performed so well on defense a year ago, and once Paolo Banchero was lost to injury plenty of sloppiness ensued.
As it stands right now, they’ve won five in a row — with recent wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers — vaulting up to second place in defensive efficiency in the process.
The task at hand here should be quite manageable for Orlando against a Phoenix Suns team that’s missing Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. Not to mention with no rest after a soul-crushing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday which they seemed in complete control of throughout.
Orlando ranks eighth in defending the mid-range shot and sixth at the rim, really only struggling against the 3-ball but limiting looks there at the third-lowest clip in the league. The Suns’ offense has been predicated around shooting, so with such incredible defense just inside the arc and great closeouts on the perimeter, this should be an excellent matchup for Orlando.
The Magic, meanwhile, love to shoot the 3 and score at the rim — though they sit dead last in outside shooting this season. Still, they’re hitting at the rim at the ninth-best clip in the league and should have an opening against a 15th-ranked Suns rim defense which is now a bit weaker without Durant.
There should be some clear avenues into this game for the Magic, and I’m believing what I’ve seen in recent weeks. The Suns are just 1-5 against the spread at home, too, so there’s little to fear as it pertains to Orlando’s lack of road wins.
Magic vs Suns same-game parlay
Magic -4.5
Jalen Suggs 5+ rebounds
Devin Booker 3+ threes
While it’s probably not the market you expected me to flock towards given the breakdown above, one thing we didn’t touch on is the rebounding battle. Orlando is sitting eighth in the NBA while Phoenix has fallen to 17th, missing plenty of players throughout the season and now gearing up to face Orlando without center Jusuf Nurkic.
This should mean a field day for the Magic on the glass, and I’m a big fan of Jalen Suggs in this spot against an undersized point guard in Tyus Jones. He has a four-inch advantage on Jones and has demonstrated some excellent rebounding prowess this year to boot with five or more boards in nine of his 14 games.
On the other side of the coin, it seems Devin Booker has been trying to figure out how best to help the injury-riddled Suns in the last five games without Durant considering no two games look the same. The lone constant, even if his volume fluctuates, is that he’s shot 41.7% from 3-point range in that span, and we did see him launch a season-high 13 times against Minnesota.
I know Orlando may not be giving up many looks from downtown, but there should be few other options for the Suns here than to let Booker fire away many times. With the Magic allowing almost 38% from outside and Booker shooting well, I expect him to come home on this number.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Magic vs Suns odds
Magic vs Suns live odds
Magic vs Suns opening odds
- Spread: Orlando +2 | Phoenix -2
- Moneyline: Orlando +110 | Phoenix -130
- Over/Under: Over 206.5 | Under 206.5
Odds courtesy of bet365
Magic vs Suns spread and Over/Under analysis
- As injury news has begun to trickle out all day we’ve watched the Suns steadily fall from two-point favorites all the way to 4.5-point underdogs. The number has seemingly increased with each passing hour.
- While 68% of the bets are on the Suns to cover, 52% of the money is on the Magic.
- Unlike the spread, bettors seem conflicted on the total with a steady climb all the way to 212 points early Monday afternoon before a drop down all the way as low as 209.5 before a late correction.
- The Over has accounted for 87% of the tickets but just 73% of the handle.
Magic vs Suns trend
The Phoenix Suns have hit the Game Total Under in 23 of their last 35 games at home (+10.90 Units / 28% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Magic vs. Suns.
How to watch Magic vs Suns
| Location: | Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ |
| Date: | Monday, 11-18-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Arizona's Family 3TV / Arizona's Family Sports, FanDuel Sports Network - Florida |
Magic vs Suns latest injuries
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