The Magic are experiencing an excellent start to the season, and they are looking for the third consecutive victory, while the Bulls are hoping to avoid the third straight defeat. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Chicago Bulls at Orlando Magic
Spread: Orlando Magic -8 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 205 (-110)
The Bulls are searching for the second win this season and the first on the road
The Chicago Bulls entered this campaign as predicted; they are the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference at the moment with one win and five defeats. The Bulls arrived in Florida a couple of days ago to face Miami and Orlando, and although they were close to avoiding a loss to the Heat, Chicago fell short, 91:97.
The poor perimeter shooting (7-28) proved to be the main reason for the defeat, while 63.2% from the free-throw line didn’t help as well. Chicago dominated the boards (54-48) even though Miami’s center Hassan Whiteside returned to the floor following an injury, and the Bulls even had six blocks in opposite to the Heat’s zero, but that wasn’t enough for the second win this season. The Finnish international LauriMarkkanen impressed once again and scored a career-high 25 points (9-18 FG, 2-7 3PT, 5-7 FT), along with eight rebounds and game-high two steals. Robin Lopez followed him on a scoreboard with 22 points and four boards, while Kris Dunn added 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and game-high two rejections. Chicago missed better contribution from Justin Holiday who scored just nine points, with a miserable field goal shooting (3-15, 2-9 3PT), but he will likely bounce back in this encounter as I expect him to return to double digits. The frontcourt duo of Lopez and Markkanen developed an excellent chemistry and understanding below the rims, and they are currently the team’s top scorers, so I believe the pair will be at the top of the scoring chart once again on Friday. Jerian Grant will continue to serve as a starting point guard, but Dunn’s return to the floor after a finger injury means that Grant’s minutes will decrease. I am anticipating exciting matchup between Holiday and Evan Fournier, and it could turn out to be a classic shootout.
Fred Hoiberg still cannot count on Zach LaVine who is out with a knee injury and the former Minnesota guard should be back in early December, while Cameron Payne won’t be back before January. Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic are a few weeks away from returning, but it’s going to be interesting to see how the Bulls will solve the situation between the two after the altercation, so one of them might be traded away. The Bulls are scoring 90.17 points per contest on average (30th in the NBA), while they are allowing 101.17 points in return (8th in the NBA). The Bulls are among the best teams when it comes to rebounding (3rd in the NBA), while they are limiting opponents to 44.03% from the field (8th in the NBA).
Place: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Date/Time: Friday, November 3rd, 2017, 7 PM ET
TV Coverage: FS FLORIDA
The Magic are hoping for the third consecutive victory
The Orlando Magic returned to Florida after a three-game road trip where they collected two wins; the most recent one against the Memphis Grizzlies, 101:99. Orlando has been in a phenomenal run early in the campaign and only a few expected them to record six victories from the first eight matches, and they are at the top of the Southeast Division with a win ahead of Charlotte and two more than Washington.
The Magic exploited the fact that Michael Conley didn’t play for Memphis, and secured a narrow victory in the final few seconds of the clash. They were excellent from the field (50.7%), while they hit 13 threes on 29 attempts (44.8%). Orlando had seven rebounds more than the Grizzlies (38-31) and recorded eight blocks in opposite to Memphis’ three. Despite committing even 24 turnovers against, 11 more than the Grizzlies, Orlando managed to secure a significant win, and they are now facing a lot easier matchup at home. Evan Fournier led the Magic once again with 22 points and eight rebounds, Aaron Gordon posted 19 points, seven rebounds, and team-high two steals, while Terrence Ross contributed with 15 points and a pair of rejections. Nikola Vucevic struggled in a matchup with Marc Gasol, shooting just 3-11 from the field for season-low seven points, and adding only five boards, but he will probably respond well on Friday. However, we shouldn’t forget that Robin Lopez is an excellent defensive player, and Vucevic will have a lot to do to return to his average of 19 points per game. I am expecting an intriguing duel between Gordon and Markkanen, and also between Fournier and Holiday.
Frank Vogel has plenty of injury-related concerns at the point guard position as D.J. Augustin sustained a hamstring injury in Memphis and he is out indefinitely, while Elfrid Payton is also sidelined with a hamstring setback. Shelvin Mack will see an increase in minutes as he is the only available PG on the roster, so I think Chicago could profit from the current situation in Orlando. The Magic are scoring fantastic 114.88 points per contest on average (2nd in the NBA), while they are allowing 106.75 points in return (18th in the NBA). The Magic are at the top of the league when it comes to shooting from beyond the arc with 44.16%, while they are the second from a field goal, 48.92%. Orlando is playing excellently in defense, and they are allowing just 28.31% for the perimeter, which is the best record in the league.
Chicago Bulls at Orlando Magic Trends & Prediction
The Bulls are 4-2 against the spread (2-1 away), while they are 2-4 on over/under (2-1) away, and even though they are the worst scoring team in the NBA, this clash could go OVER. I am not so sure about the spread so that I would skip it.
The Magic are 5-3 against the spread (2-1 home), while they are 4-4 on over/under (2-1 home), and although it is not easy to predict a number of points on Orlando, I am going with OVER on this one. The spread is tricky, and I am not brave enough to pick one, but considering Orlando scoring record thus far, the teams should combine for at least 210 points.
My Pick: Pass
Total: Over 205 (-110)
