Spurs vs. Magic: 3 Best Bets

Before the San Antonio Spurs come to town to take on the Orlando Magic, check out our three best bets powered by SI Sportsbook.

For the second (and last) time this season, the Orlando Magic will take on the San Antonio Spurs. The Magic bested the Spurs in the earlier contest, 108-98, led by Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero both scoring more than 20 points.

Both teams are coming off a loss in their most recent game, and interestingly enough, both teams lost to the Miami Heat, who is looking to surpass the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference. With a tight race for the number six seed and a pass out of the NBA Play-In Tournament, every game the Magic can use to catch up will be important in the final third of the NBA season.

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Both teams have very clean injury reports, with only center Charles Bassey listed as "out" for the Spurs, although he has missed several months with an ACL tear and is not expected to be back this season. The Spurs are coming off a loss last night in Miami, so fatigue might be a factor, but all the Spurs will be playing, which means that Banchero will get to see his Skills Challenge teammate, Victor Wembanyama. 

Keep it posted here for the three best bets, powered by the lines at SI Sportsbook.

The Lines

Point spread: Spurs +10.5 (-110)/Magic -10.5 (-118)

Money line: Spurs (+410)/Magic (-599)

Over/under: 225.5

Our Picks

Safe pick: Paolo Banchero OVER 24.5 points (-118)

If this pick seems like a cop-out, that's because it is! Banchero is averaging 25.4 points over his last five games, including a 25-point masterclass against the Spurs. Recently, Banchero has been comfortable from deep, shooting 45.5 percent from three. With Wembanyama down low, the best course of action is to avoid the paint altogether, which Banchero has been doing effectively.

Opponent pick: Devin Vassell OVER 19.5 points (-133)

Devin Vassell has quietly been the second-best player on the Spurs. Earlier this season, he scored 26 points against the Magic. Over the last five games, he has averaged 23.8 points on on 35.1 percent shooting. In all but one of those games, he has hit the over for this line, so there's no reason to think he won't continue his volume scoring. 

Spurs vs. Magic GAMEDAY Preview: How to Watch, Injury Report, Betting Odds

 Team pick: UNDER 225.5 total points

These two teams combined for only 206 points in their last matchup, and the Magic is clearly the better team. Since Orlando has better players, they get to control how the game rolls. The Spurs are one of the fastest teams in the league, but with Orlando's stifling defense and steal-happy backcourt, the Spurs' eagerness to run-and-gun will be stopped early, which will only make it more inefficient as the game goes on.