Brooklyn Nets vs Orlando Magic Prediction NBA Picks 12/29/24

Brooklyn Nets 

The Brooklyn Nets have been in rough shape as they've lost nine of their last 12 games overall and they will be hoping for a better result after getting beaten by the Spurs in a 96-87 home defeat on Friday. Keon Johnson led the team with 25 points on 10 of 20 shooting, Shake Milton added 16 points with 12 assists while Nic Claxton chipped in with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals. As a team, the Nets shot just 38 percent from the field and 12 of 41 from the 3-point line as they played excellent defense early on to restrict the Spurs to just 11 points in the first quarter, but they couldn't maintain that intensity, and allowed 63 points in the second and third quarters combined to see their 14-point lead turn into a 17-point deficit. 

Orlando Magic 

Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic have been in a rut as they've lost five of their last seven games overall and they will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting routed by the Knicks in a 108-85 loss on Friday. Jalen Suggs led the team with 27 points on 10 of 20 shooting, Goga Bitadze added 14 points with 11 rebounds and two blocks while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in with 10 points but no other player finished in double figures in scoring. As a team, the Magic shot just 36 percent from the field and 10 of 33 from the 3-point line as they wrestled with the Knicks early on to level the scores going into halftime, before they went ice-cold and scored just 31 points in the second half to get blown out in front of their home fans. The Magic will meet the Pistons and Raptors after this game.

Why the Orlando Magic will win

• The Magic have won each of their last 27 games at Kia Center against teams that held a losing record.
• The Nets have lost each of their last nine day games against teams that held a winning record.
• The Magic have covered the spread in each of their last 12 Sunday games as favorites.
• The Nets have failed to cover the spread in each of their last seven day games against Eastern Conference opponents that held a winning record.

Brooklyn Nets vs Orlando Magic Prediction

The Nets are still shorthanded with Bojan Bogdanovic and Ziaire Williams both ruled out, while the Magic are still missing Moritz Wagner, Franz Wagner, and Paolo Banchero. The Nets have struggled for momentum since opening night and things haven't gotten any better since they traded away Dennis Schroder who was their best player on most nights. Meanwhile, the Magic were the surprise team of the league before their injuries started to pile up, so this one is a tough one to pick. It's tempting to take the Nets with the points, but the Magic have shown that they're good enough to beat the lesser teams in the league despite missing their best players and I think we will see that again in this matchup.