Nuggets vs. Magic Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Sunday, Jan. 19

After a fast start to the season, injuries have finally caught up with the Orlando Magic.

They’ve lost six of their last 10 games to fall to 23-20 on the season, and they are now just the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Moritz Wagner, Gary Harris, and Goga Bitadze – five key rotation players – are all out on Sunday in Orlando’s home matchup with the Denver Nuggets. After a 10-0 start at home, Orlando is just 4-7 in its last 11 games at Kia Center.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, hold the No. 4 seed in the West and have found a groove with Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup.

Oddsmakers have favored Denver by eight points in this matchup, but it hasn’t exactly dominated against the spread this season, going 20-20-1 overall and 6-8 as a road favorite.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, my favorite prop bets, and prediction for Sunday’s interconference clash.

Nuggets vs. Magic Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Nuggets -8 (-112)
Magic +8 (-108)

Moneyline

Nuggets: -325
Magic: +260

Total

221.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Nuggets vs. Magic How to Watch

Date: Sunday, Jan. 19
Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Kia Center
How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports Florida, Altitude
Nuggets record: 25-16
Magic record: 23-20

Nuggets vs. Magic Injury Reports

Nuggets Injury Report

Trey Alexander – out
Vlatko Cancar – out
Spencer Jones – out
DaRon Holmes II – out
Nikola Jokic – probable
Aaron Gordon – probable

Magic Injury Report

Goga Bitadze – out
Gary Harris – out
Franz Wagner – out
Jalen Suggs – out
Moritz Wagner – out
Jett Howard – questionable
Mac McClung – out

Nuggets vs. Magic Best NBA Prop Bets

Denver Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bet

Aaron Gordon OVER 9.5 Points (-120)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Aaron Gordon is a solid prop target against his former team:

Aaron Gordon has come off the bench in three straight games for Denver since returning from a calf injury, putting up 13, eight and 16 points in those games.

He now gets to face his former team – Orlando – on Sunday, and I think he could be in line for a big showing. Gordon has attempted eight shots per game despite playing less than half the game in all three matchups since he returned, and he’s only had a handful of games where he’s failed to reach 10 points this season.

Overall, Gordon is averaging 13.5 points per game, and even against a tough Orlando defense, I think he could be in line for a decent scoring game. The Nuggets have run a lot of their second unit through Gordon, and he has done a solid job getting to the line (nine free throws in his last two games) since returning.

This line is a little low for a player that we know will have a big role for Denver – even if it is in limited minutes.

Orlando Magic Best NBA Prop Bet

Paolo Banchero OVER 4.5 Assists (-140)

The All-Star forward has cleared 4.5 dimes in just one of his four games since returning from an oblique injury, but this is too good for a matchup to pass up to take the OVER.

Banchero is averaging 4.8 assists per game, and as his minutes rise, he should have a higher ceiling in this prop as the No. 1 option in the Orlando offense. This season, Denver has given up 29.3 opponent assists per game – the most in the NBA.

I’ll buy Banchero at this price on Sunday.

Nuggets vs. Magic Prediction and Pick

While Denver hasn’t been perfect against the spread as a road favorite, the Magic are in disarray right now.

Orlando is just 2-3-1 against the spread as a home underdog, posting an averaging scoring margin of -8.7 points per game in those contests. Not only that, but the Magic have fallen off a cliff offensively, dropping to 29th in the NBA in offensive rating and 30th in effective field goal percentage.

Only the Washington Wizards – who have the worst record in the NBA – have a worse offensive rating than Orlando this season.

Yes, the Magic are still an elite defense, but can they hold up against Denver’s No. 4 offense? I’m not buying it, especially since the Magic are just 26th in the NBA in net rating over their last 10 games.

I’ll gladly lay the points here with Denver rolling since Gordon returned to action.

Pick: Nuggets -8 (-112)

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.