Nets vs. Magic: 3 Best Bets

The Orlando Magic will be looking to tie up the season series with the Brooklyn Nets.

For the fourth and final time this season, the Orlando Magic will tip off against the Brooklyn Nets. The Magic lost the first two games in the season series and will be looking to tie it up at 2-2. 

Orlando is coming off two straight losses, which does not bode well for their playoff success. Brooklyn beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last matchup but is comfortably out of the playoff picture and is 11th in the Eastern Conference. 

Mikal Bridges Cole Anthony Nets
Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Brooklyn has Ben Simmons and Dariq Whitehead listed as out, with Cam Johnson questionable. Markelle Fultz and Jalen Suggs are both questionable for Orlando.

Keep it posted here for our three best bets before tipoff, powered by the lines and odds at SI Sportsbook

The Lines

Point spread: Nets +6.5 (-105)/Magic -6.5 (-118)

Money line: Nets (+215)/Magic (-300)

Over/under: 205.5

Our Picks

Safe pick: Jalen Suggs OVER 10.5 points (-110)

If Suggs plays, this bet is easy money in the bank. He hasn't been his best against Brooklyn averaging 8.7 points across the three games, but over his last ten appearances, he has tapped into his offensive potential, scoring 12.3 points per game. If he suits up, expect his hot streak to continue. 

Opponent pick: Mikal Bridges UNDER 18.5 points (-110)

Bridges has lit up the Magic for 42 points this season, but his four-point outing in the last game with Orlando and his 17.2 average over the last five are not inspiring. Yes, he has found his shot, but he is simply not a volume scorer and has struggled to stuff the stat sheet recently, including against the Magic. 

Magic Coach Jamahl Mosley 'Grateful' for Contract Extension

Team pick: OVER 205.5 total points (-110)

Two of the three games have hit this over between these two teams, and in the modern NBA, any line under 212 total points should be met with skepticism. Yes, the Magic have an elite defense and the Nets are inconsistent, especially on the offensive end, but asking for a near-100-point average in 2024 is quite the request. 


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Jonah Kubicek
JONAH KUBICEK

Jonah Kubicek has been writing about the NBA since 2021, covering the Pistons, Jazz, Spurs, Magic, Rockets, and Knicks. As a lifelong Spurs fan living in Michigan, he never misses an opportunity to bring up the 2005 NBA Finals (you should have guarded Horry!). He is a long-suffering Tigers fan and closely follows the NFL, although he never found an affinity for the Lions. Jonah graduated from Oakland University with a degree in History and spends his spare time playing tennis or reading. Follow Jonah on Twitter for updates on Tre Jones and other NBA news.