Magic vs. Knicks: 3 Best Bets
The Orlando Magic holds sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of the New York Knicks. The Magic has beaten New York in all three of the previous matchups and hopes to complete a season sweep tonight.
Orlando enters the contest on a five-game win streak and is one of the hottest teams in basketball. The Knicks have lost three of their last five, including a 16-point dismantling on Tuesday by the hands of the Atlanta Hawks.
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The Magic have Wendell Carter Jr. listed as questionable, while the Knicks continue to be riddled with injuries. OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and Julius Randle are all out, and All-Star Jalen Brunson is questionable.
Keep it posted here for our three best bets, powered by the lines at SI Sportsbook.
The Lines
Point spread: Knicks +1.5 (-118)/Magic -1.5 (-110)
Money line: Knicks (+100)/Magic (-125)
Over/under: 205.5
Our Picks
Safe pick: Paolo Banchero OVER 21.5 points (-133)
Paolo Banchero has had New York's number all season, scoring 29, 20, and 36 against the Knicks in previous matchups. With New York's defense heavily depleted, there are not many players who will be able to stop Banchero, who is averaging 26.3 points during the win streak.
Team pick: Magic -1.5 (-110)
Take the points! The Knicks are falling and have only won a single of their last five home games. Against a red-hot Magic team, the Knicks will struggle to keep up, and Orlando should be able to continue steamrolling the league.
Passing pick: Jalen Suggs OVER 2.5 assists (-125)
Either the oddsmakers know something we don't, or this line is insanely low. Jalen Suggs has played two games against the Knicks and dished out a total of ten dimes in those contests. Granted, over his last five games, he's averaged only 2.8 assists to 2.2 turnovers, but he should be able to dice up the Knicks.
