Magic vs. Nuggets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Dec. 18

The Nuggets are sizable favorites at home on Thursday.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is a great prop target on Thursday. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

One of the best matchups in the NBA on Thursday night takes place in Denver, as Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic.

Both of these teams are expected to compete for a spot in the NBA Finals, as Orlando has been surging in the East while Denver appears to be the clear No. 2 team (to the Oklahoma City Thunder) in the West.

However, both squads won’t be at full strength on Thursday.

Franz Wagner (ankle) remains out for the Magic while the Nuggets are down two starters in Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, who have both missed the last several weeks. 

Still, oddsmakers have Denver heavily favored at home, where it is 7-4 this season. The Nuggets are coming off an impressive overtime win over Houston – their fifth in a row – in their last game on Monday.

Can they stay hot at Ball Arena?

Let’s take a look at the odds, my favorite prop bet and, of course, a prediction for this marquee matchup in the NBA. 

Magic vs. Nuggets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Magic +6.5 (-105)
• Nuggets -6.5 (-115)

Moneyline

• Magic: +220
• Nuggets: -270

Total

• 236.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Magic vs. Nuggets How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, Dec. 18
• Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Ball Arena
• How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local), Altitude
• Magic record: 15-11
• Nuggets record: 19-6

Magic vs. Nuggets Injury Reports

Magic Injury Report

• Jamal Cain – out
• Colin Castleton – out
• Orlando Robinson – out
• Tristan da Silva – questionable
• Franz Wagner – out
• Jalen Suggs – out
• Moritz Wagner – out

Nuggets Injury Report

• Aaron Gordon – out
• Tamar Bates – out
• Christian Braun – out
• Tim Hardaway Jr. – questionable
• Curtis Jones – out
• DaRon Holmes II – out
• Peyton Watson – questionable

Magic vs. Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bets

Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bet

• Nikola Jokic OVER 11.5 Rebounds (-129)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Jokic is a great prop target against Orlando: 

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is averaging 12.4 rebounds per game this season, but his rebounds prop is set below his season average on Thursday against the Orlando Magic.

Orlando is sixth in the NBA in rebounding percentage, so this is a tougher matchup than usual for Jokic. But, he had 15 boards against the No. 1 rebounding team in the league (the Houston Rockets) in his last game. On top of that, Jokic has helped Denver rank fourth in the league in rebounding percentage this season. 

The three-time league MVP is averaging over 20 rebound chances per game, picking up at least 12 boards in 15 of his 25 appearances this season.

Orlando is not a great shooting team (20th in effective field goal percentage), so I think there will be plenty of boards to go around for Jokic on Thursday night. 

Magic vs. Nuggets Prediction and Pick

Both of these teams are short-handed on Thursday, but the loss of Jalen Suggs looms large for this Magic team.

Orlando was 21-26 in the games that Suggs missed last season, and in a small sample size, Orlando is just 2-3 without him and 13-8 with him in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Suggs is by far the Magic’s best perimeter defender, which opens up some opportunities for Jamal Murray on Thursday night.

Denver has actually not been as good at home as you’d expect (7-4 straight up), but it has posted an average scoring margin of +8.7 in those games. 

Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane are going to have a lot on their plate for an Orlando team that is already just 20th in effective field goal percentage despite being 10th in offensive rating. The Nuggets, who are down two starters, have remained the best offense in the league through 25 games.

I think they cover this spread on Thursday night.  

Pick: Nuggets -6.5 (-115 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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