NBA Odds: Magic (even)
The Charlotte Hornets will be at the Amway Center to square off against a division foe in the Orlando Magic. The game starts at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 1 and will air on SPSO and FSN-FL.
The Magic lost to the Hawks 95-88 on Friday. Nikola Vucevic recorded 21 points and 15 rebounds, earning his 35th double-double of the year. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-98 loss to the Celtics on Friday. Mo Williams had a game-high 31 points.
Williams has been on a tear over the last five games for the Hornets, averaging 23.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 3.8 three-pointers.
Second-chance points might be scarce for Orlando in this matchup. They rank 29th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 21.3%), while the Hornets are best in the league on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 79.5%). Put-back points also figure to be rare for the Hornets. They rank 28th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 22.5%), while the Magic are fifth-best in the league on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 76.7%).
The Magic have won two out of three against the Hornets this season, but dropped their most recent game, 98-90. Kemba Walker scored a game-high 30 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Magic enter the game with records of 19-40-1 Straight Up (SU) and 31-27-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 6-2-1 ATS over their last 10 games. Orlando has been struggling as of late. In the last 10 games, Orlando has only averaged 85.7 points per game compared to the 95.5 they’ve averaged on the season. The most recent ten game stretch for the Magic has gone great. Over that span, Orlando’s opponents are averaging 86.3 points per game, well under their season average of 101.0.
On the other side, Charlotte has a SU record of 23-32-1 and an ATS record of 26-27-2. In divisional games, Charlotte has gone 6-4 SU and 5-4-1 ATS. During the last 10 games, they averaged PPG, below their 94.3 PPG season average. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Hornets. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.8. Charlotte’s defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking fifth in the NBA with only 97.0 points allowed per game.
Following the Hornets’ latest win over Orlando, their SU record against the Magic moves to 6-4 over the last 10 meetings. The Hornets also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Charlotte has held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10, while Orlando accomplished this once.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHA, ATS Winner – CHA
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Orlando’s last 8 games.
Orlando is 4-14 SU in its last 18 games.
Orlando is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games.
Orlando is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Orlando’s last 7 games at home.
Orlando is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games at home.
Orlando is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Orlando is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games when playing Charlotte.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando’s last 6 games when playing Charlotte.
Orlando is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando’s last 6 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
Orlando averages 95.5 points per game, placing the team just 26th in the league. Charlotte ranks fifth in points allowed, giving up 97.0 points per game.
On average, Orlando puts up 96.5 points per home game (ranked 24th), while Charlotte gives up 97.6 points per away game (ranked fifth).
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Orlando Magic have a 14-16 record. When they don’t reach the century mark, the Charlotte Hornets have a poor record of 10-26.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Magic are just 5-25 this season. Charlotte is a solid 13-7 when it hits the century mark.
The Magic have an offensive rating of 99.1 (ranked 27th). The Hornets rank eighth for their defensive rating of 100.4.
The Charlotte Hornets average 96.6 possessions per game and .976 points per possession. The Orlando Magic earn fewer possessions with 96.4, but they score more points with .991.
The Orlando Magic average an effective field goal percentage of 49.8% this season. The Charlotte Hornets have an abysmal record of 5-17 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.8% or greater.
On average, the Orlando Magic make 20.4 assists per game and the Charlotte Hornets make 20.4. Orlando is ranked 26th, while Charlotte is ranked 27th.
The Orlando Magic average 3.6 blocks per game for a rank of 30th. The Charlotte Hornets rank higher (seventh), earning 5.5 blocks each contest.
Orlando is ranked 28th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Charlotte ranks sixth in defensive rebounds.
The Orlando Magic average 7.5 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Charlotte Hornets have a subpar record (9-18) this season.
