Magic vs. Knicks Pick
Will the short-handed New York Knicks find a way to win at home against the Orlando Magic tonight at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Knicks are favored at home in this game, as they are getting odds of -3.5 points against the Magic. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 209 points. New York has won and covered in its last two meetings with the Magic, including a 106-95 win at home back on Dec. 22.
The Magic have lost their last two games to fall to 15-20 on the year. They are also 14-20-1 against the spread this season and dealing with some injury issues as leading scorer Evan Fournier has missed four games with a heel injury and is questionable to return tonight. He averages 17.8 points per game this season to lead the team. Niklola Vucevic is averaging 13.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game to lead this team. Orlando has struggled most of the year on offense, averaging only 98.9 points per game, while the defense is giving up 103.4 points per contest.
New York has lost four straight to drop to 16-17 on the year. The Knicks are 20-13 against the spread, though. They also have been strong at home most of the year, going 11-5 at MSG. New York averages 105.5 points per game on offense, but the defense is allowing 108.3 points per game. Carmelo Anthony is leading the team in scoring with 21.9 points per game, but he left their last game with a knee injury and is questionable for tonight. Kristaps Porzingis, who is the second-leading scorer at 20.1 points per game, is also questionable because of an Achilles injury. Courtney Lee, who ranks fourth in scoring on the team, has missed three games with a wrist injury.
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The Knicks have been struggling and now they are very banged up. Even if Anthony, Lee and Porzingis play, they won’t be at 100 percent and likely won’t play their full workload. I think the Magic will find a way to keep this game close and cover the spread, if not win outright.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: ORLANDO MAGIC +3.5