Orlando Magic vs Golden State Warriors betting tips and predictions for Thursday’s NBA Game on NBA League Pass. The defending champions are looking to end a 3-game losing streak as they continue their East coast road trip with a visit to Orlando to play the Magic. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Orlando Magic
Although they’ve won just 1 of their 8 games so far, the Orlando Magic aren’t too unhappy with the way their season is going. Almost everyone expected this team to be in the position they are in, as they position themselves to be have one of the top picks in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft. In order for them to achieve that they will have to lose as many games as possible, so far it’s going according to plan.
Another thing going to plan has been the development of rookie sensation Paolo Banchero who is putting up solid numbers and averaging almost 22 points per game on 44% shooting from the field.
He’s already had a few stat lines similar to what a rookie LeBron James was posting back in 2003, so the future is bright for the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately the present isn’t as much, they remain bottom of the Eastern Conference and tonight they are facing a team that’s beaten them in 14 of the last 18 head-to-head. Orlando has won just once in their last 11 games vs Pacific Division opponents.
Golden State Warriors
It’s still early in the season, but the defending champions seem to be struggling a bit with their championship hangover. After 8 games played they’ve won just 3 games and tonight’s game is an opportunity to end a 3-game slide. The defense hasn’t been up to the level we are accustomed to seeing it be, during the losing streak they’ve allowed 116, 128 and 120 points and teams are scoring at will against them.
Stephen Curry seems to be the only guy delivering on a consistent basis with his 30 points per game on 47% shooting from the field. Klay Thompson is still searching for his form as he returns from two major injuries, while Draymond Green seems to have fallen off quite a bit compared to recent years. The play of younger players like Poole, Kuminga, Wiseman and Moody is encouraging though, at some point they are expected to take over this team, so the Warriors are trying to balance between developing the younger players and winning at the same time and it’s proving to be a challenge.
Golden State is still without a road win this season and even though they are facing a struggling Magic team, it won’t come easy for them. The Magic have actually beaten the Warriors at least once in each of the last 4 seasons, I think they can take advantage of the Warriors struggles here and keep this game somewhat close. Let’s back the home team to cover.
Orlando Magic vs Golden State Warriors Predictions & Odds
The Warriors’ biggest issue this season is their lack of effort on the defensive end. They are a bottom 10 team in defensive rating, opponent points off turnovers, opponent fast break points and defensive rebounds. If things don’t turn around soon they could find themselves in a hole that will be too deep to find a way out as the season progresses. They still have it on the offensive end, so far in 8 games they are averaging 118.7 points per game and as a result the total has gone over in 6 of their games this season. Against the Magic though, they have a habit of going under the total despite what the trends indicate.
In their last 14 visits to Florida they’ve played the Magic under the total in 10 of those games. Orlando’s lack of scoring has plagued them early on in the season, they average the 2nd lowest amount of points per game at just 105.9 a night. This team just isn’t equipped to hang around with a team like the Warriors, so they might revert to defense in order to try and win tonight’s game. With these two teams averaging just 214.5 points per game in the last 10 meetings, I really fancy our chances with the under in tonight’s game.
