Orlando Magic (22-33) vs Denver Nuggets (38-17)
Game Info: Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 7:00 pm (Amway Center)
Betting Odds: Orlando Magic +6.5 -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Denver Nuggets and the Orlando Magic duke it out at the Amway Center on Thursday night.
The Denver Nuggets have been in great form as they’ve won 14 of their last 18 games overall and they will be eager to stay hot after blowing past the Timberwolves in a dominant 146-112 home win on Tuesday. Michael Porter Jr. led the team with 30 points on 11 of 15 shooting, Aaron Gordon added 24 points with eight assists and four steals while Nikola Jokic tallied a triple-double of 20 points with 12 rebounds and 16 assists. As a team, the Nuggets shot a sizzling 62 percent from the field and 13 of 27 from the 3-point line as they took control of the contest with a 49-19 first quarter explosion to take the early lead which was never in danger as the Nuggets never took their foot off the gas.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic have been in decent form as they’ve won six of their last 11 games overall, but they will be hoping to bounce back here after falling just short to the Knicks in a 102-98 loss on Tuesday. Markelle Fultz led the team with 21 points and six assists on nine of 12 shooting, Franz Wagner added 18 points while Paolo Banchero chipped in with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists. As a team, the Magic shot 46 percent from the field and six of 25 from the 3-point line as they looked to be in control when they held the Knicks to just 40 points in the first half to lead by 12 points, but they couldn’t put away the Knicks and it cost them as the Knicks closed the final 3:32 on a 17-10 run to snatch the game from them in a close finish.
Looking at the betting trends, the Nuggets are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games following a win, 0-5 ATS in their last five road games against a team with a losing home record and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Magic are 13-4 ATS in their last 17 games against a team with a winning record, 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games against a team above .600 and 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games overall.
Head to head, the over is 4-0 in the last four meetings overall, the Nuggets are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings overall and the Nuggets are 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Orlando.
The Nuggets are shorthanded again as Zeke Nnaji is still out and Jamal Murray is listed as questionable, while the Magic have ruled out Mo Bamba again and they are keeping an eye on Gary Harris who is day to day. The Nuggets obviously come into this one as the favorites even with the injury cloud hanging over Murray, but the Magic are capable of upsetting any team as they are a solid 13-4 ATS in the last 17 games against a team with a winning record. It’s tempting to take the Nuggets given the form they’ve been in, but if they think they can cruise like they did against the Timberwolves on Tuesday, it could cost them. With that being said, I’ll lean towards the Magic and the points at home.
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Peter’s Pick Orlando +6.5
AUTHOR: Peter Tran
Mitch's Take...
