MENU
The Victor Oladipo-less Indiana Pacers troop to the Magic Kingdom to take on the Orlando Magic on Thursday night at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Paceders Without Oladipo
The Indiana Pacers will now have to finish the season without their leader and All-Star guard Victor Oladipo who suffered a ruptured quadriceps tendon in his right knee during a game against the Toronto Raptors last week. Since losing Dipo, the Pacers have lost two in a row, including a 32 point blowout against the defending champion Golden State Warriors last Monday night.
The Pacers average just 108.7 points per game which is only 20th in the entire league. But they have the best scoring defense in the NBA at 103.8 points per game allowed. Indiana is also ranked 7th in assists at 25.9 dimes per contest and they are 23rd in rebounding at 43.7 boards grabbed per game.
Indiana Pacers vs Orlando Magic 1/31/19
Moneyline Odds: Pacers +110, Magic -130
Odds from sportsbetting.ag as of 1/31/19
Magic Tumbling In Standings
The Orlando Magic continue to tumble in the team standings as they have lost four straight games and have won just once in their last eight contests. Orlando is now 20-31 on the season and have fallen to 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings, a good five games behind the current 8th seeded Charlotte Hornets. If the Magic wish to catch up, they need to start winning now and build some momentum.
The Magic have the fourth lowest scoring average in the league at 104.3 points per game but have the 8th best scoring defense in the entire NBA at 107.9 opponent points per game allowed. Orlando is ranked 14th in the passing game with 24.5 assists per contest and are 24th off the glass with 43.7 rebounds per game.
Who Wins?
Indiana is 18-7 SU in their last 25 games played. The Pacers are 14-10 SU in 24 road games played this season. Orlando is 1-7 SU in their last eight games played. The Magic are 12-15 SU in 27 home games played so far this season. Head to head, the Pacers are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games against the Magic. Indiana is also 5-0 SU in their last five road games in Orlando.
Indiana enters this matchup on a three game losing streak with their last two defeats via blowout losses. They are also on playing on a back to back schedule which is always tough for any team. But the Magic have their own problems. Orlando has played decent defense this season but their offense has been pathetic. The Magic have lost seven out of their last eight games overall and have dropped four in a row at home.
I would have loved to pick the home team in a matchup like this one but upon seeing that Orlando is just 12-15 at home this season, I don’t think homecourt will make much of a difference here. Despite back to back blowout losses, I still have faith in the Indiana Pacers. They have played better than Orlando this season. Even without Dipo, they have a more talented roster. The better team at plus money? I’ll take that.
I’m picking the Indiana Pacers to beat the Orlando Magic on 1/31/19.
Other Bets To Make
The Pacers are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played and 1-3 ATS in four road games over that period. The Magic are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games played including 2-4 ATS in six home games. Head to head, the Pacers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against the Magic. Indiana is also 5-0 ATS in their last five head to head meetings played in Orlando.
Indiana Pacers vs Orlando Magic 1/31/19
Spread Odds: Pacers +2 (-110), Magic -2 (-110)
Odds from sportsbetting.ag as of 1/31/19
Indiana is 1-5 ATS in their last six games on the road, 2-7 ATS in their last nine games against the Eastern Conference and 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The Magic are 3-8-1 in their last dozen games against the Central Division and are 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games at home. The Pacers are also 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games against the Magic in Orlando. Between two struggling teams, I’ll pick the one with the better lineup. Give my my plus bucket and I’ll take the Pacers.
Prediction: Pacers +2
The total has gone over in six out of the last 10 games played by the Pacers. The over is 4-0 in Indiana’s last four road games played. Meanwhile, the Magic have seen the total go over in seven out of their last 10 games played. The over is 4-2 in the Magic’s last six home games played.
Indiana Pacers vs Orlando Magic 1/31/19
Moneyline Odds: Over 211 -110, Under 211 -110
Odds from sportsbetting.ag as of 1/31/19
The over is 7-2 in the Magic’s last nine games overall. The over is also 11-4 in the Pacers’ last 15 overall. Indiana’s top ranked defense plus Orlando’s pathetic offense should have made this an easy “under” pick but that isn’t the case. Since Oladipo was hurt, the Pacers have yielded 115 points per game. The Magic meanwhile have scored an average of 107.6 points per game. More than defense, Indiana’s main concern will be putting up points to win the game.
Prediction: Over 211
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks 04/19/2023 NBA Odds and Prediction
New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers 04/17/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees 04/14/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
OKC Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans 04/12/2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Odds and Prediction
