Magic vs. Hornets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, March 19

The Charlotte Hornets are back over .500 and looking to make a run at a top-eight seed in the Eastern Conference heading into a huge divisional matchup with the Orlando Magic.

The Magic had a seven-game winning streak snapped earlier this week and have now lost two games in a row, falling to the No. 6 spot in the East. Paolo Banchero and company have played well during the month of March, but will it be enough to avoid the play-in tournament?

Charlotte, Atlanta and Miami are all chasing the Magic in the standings, and the No. 5 through No. 10 seeds in the East are separated by just 4.5 games.

Oddsmakers have set the Hornets as favorites on Thursday as Charlotte (2-1 against Orlando this season) looks to win the season series and potentially a huge tiebreaker.

Let’s take a look at the odds, a player prop to consider and my game prediction for this Southeast Division showdown.

Magic vs. Hornets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Magic +5.5 (-115)
Hornets -5.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Magic: +180
Hornets: -218

Total

225.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Magic vs. Hornets How to Watch

Date: Thursday, March 19
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Spectrum Center
How to Watch (TV): NBA TV
Magic record: 38-30
Hornets record: 35-34

Magic vs. Hornets Injury Reports

Magic Injury Report

Anthony Black – out
Franz Wagner – out
Jonathan Isaac – out

Hornets Injury Report

Tosan Evbuomwan – out
Liam McNeeley – out
Antonio Reeves – out
PJ Hall – out
Tidjane Salaun – out

Magic vs. Hornets Best NBA Prop Bet

Magic Best NBA Prop Bet

Paolo Banchero OVER 13.5 Rebounds and Assists (-119)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m trusting Banchero in this market:

Since the All-Star break, Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero is averaging 25.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game, turning around what was a frustrating first half of the season.

Banchero has picked up at least 14 rebounds and assists in 10 of his 15 games since the break, and he may be undervalued against a Hornets team that he nearly recorded a triple-double against in their first meeting this season.

With Anthony Black and Franz Wagner still out of the lineup for Orlando, Banchero should remain in a high-usage role on Thursday night.

Magic vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick

These teams are No. 4 (Charlotte) and No. 6 (Orlando) in defensive rating over their last 10 games, so I wouldn't be shocked to see a defensive battle on Thursday night.

The Hornets are a bottom-five team in pace this season, so even though they have one of the league’s best offenses, they aren’t playing super high-scoring games.

In fact, the Hornets have the second-best UNDER record 42-27 in the NBA this season, including a 65.6 percent hit rate on the UNDER when they’re at home.

In the first three meetings between these teams, they combined for 221, 225 and 230 points. I think this total is a little high, especially with Orlando down two key rotation pieces in Black and Wagner.

Pick: UNDER 225.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

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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