Magic vs. Wizards: 3 Best Bets

The Orlando Magic is a heavy favorite in its third matchup of the season with the Washington Wizards.

The Orlando Magic travels to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards tonight. The Magic snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, and Washington has won only two of their last 11 games. It’s safe to say that one team is very much a playoff hopeful and the other one is not.

Earlier this season, Orlando beat Washington twice but both of those games were in Florida. Tonight is the first time the Magic has gone on tour to D.C., and a loss to this Wizards team would be downright embarrassing.

Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic swipes at Washington's Kyle Kuzma.  / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Wizards, despite their misfortunes, are healthy for tonight’s matchup. Orlando continues to be without Markelle Fultz and Kevon Harris, who are joined by Jonathan Isaac. Joe Ingles and Jalen Suggs are both questionable.

Check out our best bets below, powered by the lines at SI Sportsbook.

The Lines

Point spread: Wizards +7.5 (-118)/Magic -7.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Wizards (+235)/Magic (-333)

Over/under: 238.5

Our Picks

Safe pick: Paolo Banchero OVER 24.5 points (-125)

Paolo Banchero has only hit this over in two of his last six, but he has shown recently that he can score over 30 points with relative ease, doing so in three of his last eight games. Basically, if he’s going to hit this over, he’s going to do it in style. In those two games earlier this season against the Wizards, Banchero only averaged 17 points, but that was before he emerged as the Magic’s best player, easily. Now that the offense clearly runs through him, he should get plenty more looks, which was partially why he failed to register an impressive scoring performance.

Opponent pick: Jordan Poole UNDER 18.5 points (-118)

Poole is one of the least efficient players this season, shooting only 31 percent from deep on over six attempts per game en route to 17.5 points per night. Volume scorers who can’t shoot well are exactly what elite defensive teams like Orlando eat for breakfast. Poole has not thrived as “the guy” in Washington and has done even worse against Orlando, averaging only 16.5 points against the Magic. Since those two contests, Poole has gotten more efficient, but he is still prone to take way too many shots, regardless of the game situation.

Magic Remaining Schedule Among NBA's Easiest?

Team pick: Magic -7.5 (-110)

The Magic beat Washington by 19 points and five points earlier on this season. Now that Orlando is not riding a hot streak and is playing as expected, streaky shooting will not be an issue and the defense can take over. The Wizards are top-ten in scoring but they do not shoot well, especially from outside. If the Wizards start missing early, this game could devolve into a blowout.