The West’s second-best team takes on the East’s second-worst team when the Phoenix Suns visit the Orlando Magic Wednesday night.
Phoenix has been a surprise powerhouse all season and has surged with an 8-2 mark over its last 10, while Orlando has tumbled, recently snapping a nine-game losing streak and now dealing with a trade request from one of its top performers, Aaron Gordon, in addition to a slew of injuries.
Will this be the mismatch that it appears to be on paper? Find out with our best free NBA betting picks and predictions for Suns vs. Magic at 8:00 p.m. ET at the Amway Center.
Phoenix Suns at Orlando Magic betting preview
Injuries
Suns: None.
Magic: Terrence Ross SG (Questionable), Mo Babma C (Questionable), Chasson Randle PG (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Phoenix is 12-3 ATS in its last 15. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Magic.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonPhoenix opened as a 10-point favorite and remains -10 as of 4:30 p.m. ET at TwinSpires, where the Suns are attracting 78 percent of tickets and 76 percent of cash on the spread. The total rose from 213 to 215.5, with 70 percent of tickets/64 percent of money on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Suns have won three straight, are 8-2 over their last 10, and sit in first place in the Pacific Division. They're a Top 5 team in defensive efficiency, rank eighth in offensive efficiency, sport the third-best point differential, and have the best ATS record in the NBA at 29-13, covering at a 69-percent clip. Nice.
Led by their All-Star duo of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the Suns are a bonafide threat and have a real shot at the No. 1 seed in the West. They're two games back of the Utah Jazz, who have stumbled recently and slipped on the defensive end.
Phoenix has a lofty 10-point spread to cover Wednesday night, but is 12-3 ATS over its last 15 games and gets a Magic team that's dealing with injuries and has lost its last two games by double digits. With the trade deadline looming, it could also be Gordon's last game with the team (if he even plays), as the seven-year Orlando veteran – who is fourth on the Magic in points per game and second in rebounds – has been vocal about his desire to want out.
Both teams will be on the second half of a back-to-back, but the Suns were able to hold both Booker and Paul under 30 minutes and well below their season averages as they cruised past the reeling Miami Heat on Tuesday. Orlando, meanwhile, is coming off an 11-point loss to the Denver Nuggets and has dropped 11 of its last 12 games. This has blowout potential written all over it.
PREDICTION: Phoenix -10 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Orlando will have its hands full with Phoenix's high-end defense. The Magic rank 28th out of 30 teams in offensive rating and average the second-fewest points per game in the NBA at 104.4, just barely ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Magic have been held under 100 points in five of their last six games and the only contest during that stretch that they eclipsed the century mark in was against a Brooklyn Nets team that can be allergic to defense and tends to play in shootouts.
Phoenix, meanwhile, has held four of its last five opponents to 101 points or fewer, and even if the Suns feel they don't need to bring their best defensive effort, which they probably don't, they still shouldn't be challenged much.
The Suns should do most of the heavy lifting in this contest against a Magic team that's 1-4 O/U over its last five. Even if this game is the blowout we believe it will be, don't expect a lot of points to be scored.
PREDICTION: Under 216 (-110)
Player prop pick
Nikola Vucevic is one of the lone bright spots on Orlando. He was named a second-time All-Star this season and is averaging team-highs of 24.5 points and 11.7 rebounds, while shooting a career-best 40.3 percent from beyond the arc.
That said, this isn't the matchup to expect him to go off. For starters, being on the back-to-back in a game that could turn disastrous for Orlando after playing 34 minutes the night before, means there's real potential for Vucevic to sit down the stretch. The center is also going up against a team that's one of the best at defending the 3-ball and does a good job at limiting opponents' points in the paint.
With his O/U scoring prop set at 24.5 tonight, we're leaning Under. That's a number he's failed to top in each of his last four games, and he could be challenged tonight against improving defender Deandre Ayton.
PREDICTION: Vucevic Under 24.5 points (-118)
Suns vs Magic betting card
- Phoenix -10 (-110)
- Under 216 (-110)
- Vucevic Under 24.5 points (-118)
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