NBA: Orlando Magic vs. Sacramento Kings Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Orlando Magic are visiting the Sacramento Kings on the second of their back-to-back nights, following a loss against the Golden State Warriors. Steve Clifford’s side is not in a good position, with only two wins in the past 10 games and being in the middle of the tour through the West. Meanwhile, the Kings are playing solid and compared to the previous year, Luke Walton’s crew take a gigantic step forward. They would lose the most recent contest against the Philadelphia 76ers, but kept the positive momentum according to the players and the staff members.

Preview

Orlando Magic (9-17, TBA) is overwhelmed with injuries, having several important players sidelined. Frank Mason, Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz, Evan Fournier, Michael Carter-Williams, Al-Farouq Aminu, Jonathan Isaac, and Aaron Gordon are all out. We can pretty much say that half of the roster is now transferred to the injury list.

It is really no wonder why Magic has three losses in a row because even better teams couldn’t do much better in these circumstances. Last night, they played well against the Warriors, who dropped 20 threes and had superb Curry with 40 buckets. At one point, the Magic erased a double-digit minus and reached an 11-point advantage, yet wasted the same in the end.

Nikola Vucevic relentlessly keeps on fighting, but without any success. The big man has 23.3 points per night, 11.6 rebounds, with 47.5% shooting from the field, and 42.5% for three. Of available player, Terrence Ross is the next best thing with 14.3 points.

Sacramento Kings (12-12, TBA) had four victories in a row, before losing at home to Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, 119-111. Kings lost the last 12 minutes 32-20, and have wasted a perfect opportunity for adding another big W.

De’Aaron Fox was excellent, with 34 points, 10 dimes and 6 rebounds, however, shooting a bit inaccurate, 13-for-30. Buddy Hield scored 21, with six threes and eight rebounds, while Marvin Bagley added 17 buckets.

Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points off the bench, and the rookie becomes more and more important for Sacramento’s play. At the moment, he averages 12 points per match with 5.3 assists and 3.6 boards. His shooting is solid as well, with 49.9% from the field and 45.5% behind the arc, all that in 29.4 minutes.

Head to Head Matches

Kings and the Magic already met, shortly before the New Year. The team from Sacramento went back to California with a win in its bag, 121-107. Buddy Hield had 29 for the Kings, Harrison Barnes 21, and Richaun Holmes 20. Vucevic led the Magic with 26, while Fournier had 25. Orlando didn’t have a single lead throughout all 48 minutes.

Prediction

Sacramento is a clear favorite here, and don’t expect to see anything else but their win. They are in much better form, have the entire team at disposal, and are awaiting the rivals who are in the middle of a road trip. Furthermore, the Magic have problems with players and shortened rotation, which will definitely take a toll on back-to-back nights. So, go with Sacramento’s victory, and if you want to increase the profits, go with them winning by 10 or more points. This is very realistic as well.