Hornets vs. Magic Prediction, Odds, Key Players to Watch for NBA Cup Group Play

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Charlotte Hornets-Orlando Magic matchup in the NBA on Tuesday.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets are 4-6 in the 2024-25 season after an overtime loss to the two-win Philadelphia 76ers, and they have a tough test in an NBA Cup Group Play matchup on Tuesday.

Charlotte hits the road to play the Orlando Magic — winners of two straight — on Nov. 12.  

Orlando is down star forward Paolo Banchero due to a torn oblique, which has hurt the team’s offense (bottom 10 in the NBA in offensive rating). However, Jamahl Mosley’s group is still No. 2 in the league in defensive rating, which has allowed it to stay afloat at 5-6 this season.

Charlotte has been improved this season under new head coach Charles’ Lee, but can it pull out a road win against a division opponent? 

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch and my prediction for this NBA Cup showdown. 

Hornets vs. Magic Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Hornets +7 (-112)
• Magic -7 (-108)

Moneyline

• Hornets: +230
• Magic: -285

Total

• 213 (Over -112/Under -108)

Hornets vs. Magic How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, Nov. 12
• Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Kia Center
• How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports Southeast
• Hornets record: 4-6
• Magic record: 5-6

Hornets vs. Magic Injury Reports

Hornets Injury Report

• Miles Bridges – out
• DaQuan Jeffries – out
• Tre Mann – questionable
• Nick Richards – out
• KJ Simpson – out
• Mark Williams – out

Magic Injury Report

• Paolo Banchero – out
• Trevelin Queen – out
• Mac McClung – out
• Wendell Carter Jr. – out

Hornets vs. Magic Key Players to Watch

Charlotte Hornets

LaMelo Ball: Ball has 31 and 38 points in his last two games, pushing his season averages to 29.4 points, 4.9 rebound and 6.2 assists per game. Ball is one of the most dynamic guards in the NBA when he’s healthy, and the Hornets are off to a respectable 4-6 start this season after going 7-15 in the 22 games he played in last season. 

Orlando Magic

Franz Wagner: With Paolo Banchero out, everything runs through Franz Wagner now in this Orlando offense. The former lottery pick was given a max extension this offseason, and he’s shown that he’s up to filling Paolo’s shoes, scoring 22 or more points in four games in a row. Can he keep that going against Charlotte? 

Hornets vs. Magic Prediction and Pick

Even with its two-game winning streak, Orlando is just 4-7 against the spread this season, and I can’t get behind this team when it’s favored by this much without Banchero. 

The Magic enter this game 25th in the NBA in offensive rating, scoring 115 points or fewer in all but one game (the win over Washington) since Banchero went down. In fact, the Magic have two games where they failed to reach 100 points over that stretch, and they’ve lost four of six games without Paolo. 

The only wins? Against the lowly Wizards and the banged-up New Orleans Pelicans. 

I think Charlotte could be live to pull off an upset in this matchup with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller both in the lineup. 

Charlotte is 6-4 against the spread this season, including an impressive 3-1 ATS as a road dog.

While the Hornets have their own flaws – 21st in offensive rating, 20th in net rating – they aren’t significantly worse than this Orlando team when Paolo is out. 

I’ll take the points in this NBA Cup game. 

Pick: Hornets +7 (-112)

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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.