NBA: Orlando Magic vs Denver Nuggets Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Denver Nuggets will meet the Orlando Magic at Ball Arena on Sunday night. Mike Malone’s crew is in good shape, winning the previous four matches, while on the other side, the Magic is still searching for themselves following the latest trades that reshaped their roster. They are also coming off a massive blowout against the Jazz in Salt Lake City, which saw them losing that match by 46 points. Everything is against the guests from Florida in this event, but in such situations, it is easy to play, because there isn’t any pressure.

Preview

Orlando Magic (17-32, +800) lost against Utah at Vivint Smart Home Center 137-91, which was one of their toughest losses, not just this season, but over the past few as well. The league-leading Jazz demolished the rivals already in the first period, scoring 38 points, while on the other side, allowing just 20.

Unlike the games against the Clippers and the Pelicans in which Orlando won primarily because of a solid defense, we haven’t seen anything like that against the Jazz. Utah scored 2 threes in 55 tries, having 55.4% of shooting from the field.

On the other side, the Magic had just two downtown hits in 23 attempts, which is ridiculous for one NBA team, you have to admit. Wendell Carter Jr was excellent, scoring 19 points with 12 boards, being the only bright spot in the guests’ crew. Chuma Okeke scored 16.

Denver Nuggets (30-18, -1500) won past four, and 13 in the last 16. So they’re good, wouldn’t you say so. The main reason for that are Jokic’s sidekicks, with Murray and Michael Porter Jr. being consistent, unlike before.

MPJ drops 20.8 points in the previous 10 games, with 58% shooting from the field, and 51% from downtown, with 8.2 boards. Murray has 22.6 points and 5.7 with 51.5% FG and 50% for three during the same span. And there you have the reason why Denver plays well.

As for Jokic, he is in his usual mode, with a near-triple-double average and performances that are setting new standards for the center position. The Joker is the no.1 favorite for the MVP award at the moment, and it would be unfair to see some other guy winning it, if he continues to play like this until the end of the year. He currently has 26.5 points, 11 boards and 8.4 assists per game with 34.70 PER.

Head to Head Games

The previous match took place less than two weeks ago, with the Nuggets defeating the Magic in Orlando, 110-99. Jokic had a triple-double with 28 points, 15 boards, and 10 assists. Evan Fournier had 31 for the hosts, while Vucevic scored 18.

Prediction

After all, the said in the previous part of the article, we have no other option but to bet on the Nuggets victory. With 13 wins in 16 matches and a surge towards the top of the league, Denver really shouldn’t have any problems with an under-average team such as Orlando, with all due respect to the Magic players, staff, and fans. The spread on the hosts is -13.5, and we would be courageous to go with it. After all, Orlando comes to town following a 46-point loss on Saturday night.