Grizzlies vs. Magic Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Friday, Feb. 21

The Grizzlies are road favorites in Orlando on Friday.

The Magic are home dogs against Memphis on Friday night. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are looking to get back to .500 on the season on Friday night when they host Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.

The No. 7 seed in the East, Orlando picked up a win out of the All-Star break against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, but it finds itself as a home underdog on Friday night against the Grizzlies (third in the West). Memphis dropped behind the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings after losing to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.

While the Grizzlies are a top defensive team (seventh in defensive rating) this season, they allowed 50 points in the second quarter against Indiana and now rank 23rd in the NBA in opponent points per game – allowing 116.0 per night.

Can Orlando, which has been one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA, take advantage of that on Friday?

It’ll be interesting to see who ends up suiting up on both sides in this matchup since both teams have dealt with injuries to their stars and are playing the second night of a back-to-back.

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Grizzlies vs. Magic. 

Grizzlies vs. Magic Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Grizzlies -3.5 (-108)
• Magic +3.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Grizzlies: -155
• Magic: +130

Total

• 224.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Grizzlies vs. Magic How to Watch 

• Date: Friday, Feb. 21
• Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Kia Center
• How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports (Local), NBA League Pass
• Grizzlies record: 36-19
• Magic record: 28-29

Grizzlies vs. Magic Injury Reports

Grizzlies Injury Report

• Vince Williams Jr. – questionable
• Zyon Pullin – out
• Cam Spencer – out
• Yuki Kawamura – out

Magic Injury Report

• Not submitted yet

Grizzlies vs. Magic Best NBA Prop Bets

Memphis Grizzlies Best NBA Prop Bet

• Zach Edey UNDER 7.5 Points (-130)

Rookie center Zach Edey is averaging 9.3 points per game this season, but this a brutal matchup for him against one of the best defenses in the league. 

Orlando ranks fourth in the NBA in opponent points in the paint per game (where Edey does a lot of his work), and Edey has failed to clear five points in four straight matchups. In fact, he’s finished with seven or fewer points in 13 of his 21 games since Jan. 1, averaging just 7.5 points per game over that stretch. 

The Magic also held Edey to just seven points in their matchup back in October. 

Orlando Magic Best NBA Prop Bet

• Paolo Banchero OVER 6.5 Rebounds (-130)

This season, Paolo Banchero is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game, and he should have plenty of chances to hit the glass against a Memphis team that is No. 1 in the league in pace. 

Banchero has at least seven boards in four of his last five games, including a 10-rebound game against Atlanta on Thursday night. He also grabbed seven rebounds in his first matchup with the Grizzlies back in October. 

Grizzlies vs. Magic Prediction and Pick

These teams have extremely contrasting styles, which is a familiar look for the Magic after Thursday’s game.

Orlando is just 29th in offensive rating and 29th in pace this season – forcing games into a half-court slog – but it ended up scoring 114 points in a win over Atlanta (No. 2 in pace) on Thursday. 

Could the Magic turn in a similar game against a Memphis team that plays at a frenetic pace (No. 1 in the NBA)? 

The Grizzlies are going to try to force the Magic to run in this one, but Orlando ranks second in the NBA in opponent points per game (105.5) and has the third-best defensive rating in the NBA.

That leads me to the total in this game after Memphis struggled to keep up with a weak Indiana defense in a track-meet style game on Thursday. 

The Magic have hit the UNDER in six of their nine games that were the second night of a back-to-back this season, and overall they’re the second-best UNDER team in the NBA (35-22). Memphis, on the other hand, has hit the OVER in six of nine games that were the second night of a back-to-back and is 34-21 to the OVER. 

Despite that, I think Orlando will be able to control the pace at home – as it had a similar effect against Atlanta on Thursday. Those two teams combined for 222 points in that game, which was one of Orlando’s best offensive showings (it shot 48.2 percent from the field) in quite some time. 

Pick: UNDER 224.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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