MENU
The Jimmy Butler era begins as the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Orlando Magic on Wednesday 11/14/18.
Philadelphia is coming off a 124-114 win over the Miami Heat and have won three out of their last four games played. Meanwhile, the Magic enter this game having been beaten by the Washington Wizards 109-117 in their most recent outing. The loss to Orlando snapped a two game win streak by the Magic.
Jimmy Butler Begins
On Monday, the trade to get Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia was consummated. In the deal the Sixers sent Dario Saric, Robert Covington and a future second round pick to the Timberwolves in exchange for Butler and Justin Patton. Barring any hitches, Butler is expected to make his Sixers debut in this contest.
The Sixers rank 10th in the league in scoring at 112.7 points per game and are 4th in assists at 26.1 dimes per contest. Philly is also the 3rd best rebounding team in the league with 49.3 rebounds per game. However, the Sixers only rank 22nd in the league is scoring defense, allowing 112.9 points per game. Butler’s arrival should help change that.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Orlando Magic 11/14/18
Moneyline Odds: 76ers -240, Magic +205
Odds from gtbets as of 11/14/18
Looking For Their Identity
The Magic meanwhile are still looking for their identity as a team. They opened the season at 4-2 but have since lost six out of their last 8 games. The team is loaded with young talent and balanced scoring but the team doesn’t have that clear go to guy yet who is going to take the team to the next level.
Orlando is averaging just 103.9 points per game, 26th in the league and 25th in field goal percentage at 44%. The Magic are solid at #6 in assists with 25.6 helpers per night. On defense, the Magic rank only 20th in rebounds (43.7 rebounds) and 10th in scoring defense (108.7 points per game).
Who Wins?
The Orlando Magic lead the all-time series between these two teams at 75 to 37 but the Sixers have won their last four meetings including their first meeting of the current season last October 20, 2018 which was played in Philly and ended with the score of 116-115. Philadelphia swept Orlando 3-0 last season but the Magic won their 2017 series 3 games to one.
Expect fireworks from the Sixers here as this game officially starts the Jimmy Butler era in Philadelphia. Sure, we expect the Sixers to undergo some adjustments especially after dealing key players in Saric and Covington. However, they are getting a legit all-star and go to guy in Jimmy Butler. Butler is one of the best two way players in the NBA and his presence should be the stabilizing factor the Sixers need. Philly’s chemistry may suffer against elite teams but not versus rebuilding teams like the Magic.
We’re picking the Philadelphia 76ers to beat the Orlando Magic on 11/14/18.
Other Bets To Make
The Sixers are 6-9 ATS in 15 games played this season and 2-6 ATS in 8 games on the road. On the other hand, the Magic are 6-8 ATS in 14 games this season and 2-6 ATS in 8 games at home. Head to head, the Magic are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games played against the Sixers and are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games against Philadelphia.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Orlando Magic 11/14/18
Spread Odds: 76ers -6 (-109), Magic +6 (-109)
Odds from gtbets as of 11/14/18
Both teams are trending the opposite way: the Magic have lost 6 of 8 games and the Sixers have won three of four. Philly is going to parade Jimmy Butler in this game and he’s even going to add more star power to the SIxers.On the other hand, the Magic play hard as a unit but when all is said and done, they simply don’t have enough firepower to match the Sixers.
Prediction: Sixers -6
The over is 9-6 in Philadelphia’s 15 games played this season and the over is also 5-3 when the Sixers play on the road this campaign. The total has gone under in 9 out of the 14 games played by the Magic so far and the total has also gone under in 6 out of the 8 home games of Orlando this season. Against each other, the over is 5-1 in the last two games between these teams and the total has also gone over in 5 out of the last six games between the Sixers and Magic in Orlando.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Orlando Magic 11/14/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 222 -109, Under 222 -109
Odds from getbets as of 11/14/18
Orlando’s home games this season has favored the under and the matchup between these two teams have yielded unders as well. Sure, the Sixers rank 22nd in scoring defense but that won’t be a problem because the Magic rank only 26th in team scoring.
Prediction: Under 222
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
