The NBA roars back from a quiet Wednesday with a 12-game slate on Thursday. One of the more appealing matchups features the Magic taking on the Nuggets in Denver at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Below, we'll preview the game and break down three of the top Magic vs. Nuggets picks on PrizePicks for today, including for Nuggets C Nikola Jokic and Magic PF Paolo Banchero.
Magic vs. Nuggets Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Both teams have plenty of injury issues heading into this matchup. The Magic have ruled out F Franz Wagner (ankle) and G Jalen Suggs (hip) and also list F Tristan Da Silva (shoulder) as questionable.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, continue to play without SG Christian Braun (ankle) and PF Aaron Gordon (hamstring). Complicating matters for them Thursday is that they have listed F Peyton Watson (side) and G Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness) as questionable.
Magic vs. Nuggets Over/Under, Spread
The Nuggets are 7.5-point favorites, returning a 1.33x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Magic are underdogs on the road with a 3.03x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Denver Nuggets -7.5
- Over/Under: 236.5
- Gamer Winner Payout: Nuggets 1.33x | Magic 3.03x
Team picks data is live as of writing and is subject to change.
Magic vs. Nuggets Prediction on Game Winner
- The Magic have stark home and road splits. They are 10-4 in their own house but just 5-6 in away outings.
- Orlando was 22-19 at home last season, compared to 19-22 on the road.
- Since the start of last season, the Magic are 9-15 in games that Wagner has missed.
- The Nuggets have won five straight games to improve to 19-6 on the year, putting them in second place in the Western Conference.
- Denver has a +9.4 point differential, which is third-best in the NBA. Orlando’s point differential is +3.8.
- With C Nikola Jokic leading the way, the Nuggets have the best offensive rating (124.4) in the league.
Magic vs. Nuggets NBA Picks, Stats for PrizePicks Today
Below are three of the top Magic vs. Nuggets picks on PrizePicks for today. Player projections are via the PrizePicks' real-money NBA game.
Nuggets C Nikola Jokic vs. Magic Projection – 29.5 Points
- Jokic has scored at least 36 points in three of his last four games. During that stretch, he averaged 21.3 shot attempts and 9.3 free throw attempts.
- The three-time MVP is having one of the most efficient seasons of his career, shooting 61.3% from the field, 84.2% from the charity stripe, and 43.3% from behind the arc.
- Not only is Jokic shooting better from deep, but he is attempting a career-high 5.1 triples a night.
- The Magic have struggled to prevent teams from scoring when they get close to the rim, permitting the eighth-most points in the paint per game in the league.
Magic F Paolo Banchero vs. Nuggets Projection – 23.5 Points
- When Banchero returned from injury, he was limited to fewer than 25 minutes in both of his first two games back.
- In his last game, the star forward logged 35 minutes in a 132-120 loss to the Knicks. He scored 25 points on 22 shot attempts.
- Banchero’s scoring is down this season at 20.5 points per game. That’s mostly because his usage rate has slipped from 33.6% last season to 27.4% during the current campaign.
- Wagner (25.8%) and Suggs (25.2%) rank second and third on the Magic in usage rate. Outside of G Desmond Bane, the Magic don’t have great scoring options left behind Banchero right now.
Magic C Wendell Carter Jr. vs. Nuggets Projection – 9.5 FG Attempted
- Playing time is not an issue for Magic C Wendell Carter Jr., who is logging 30 minutes per game. That’s up from 26 minutes a night last season.
- Despite him playing more, he averages a modest 11.8 points per game.
- The former Bull has just a 14.7% usage rate, which has contributed to him attempting a modest 7.5 field goals per contest.
- Heading into this matchup, the veteran big man has jacked up fewer than 10 shots in nine consecutive games. During that span, he reached 9 shot attempts just one time.
- For the season, Carter has attempted fewer than 10 shots in 18 of 25 games.
Make Magic vs. Nuggets Picks on PrizePicks
The Nuggets and Magic have talented rosters, but both teams will be hampered by injuries Thursday. That could result in hefty workloads for Jokic and Banchero, the stars of their respective squads. With plenty of projections to consider for Magic vs. Nuggets and the rest of Thursday’s slate, now is the time to make NBA picks on PrizePicks.
Just predict More or Less for at least two NBA player stat projections and earn real-money rewards if you're right.
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