Hornets vs. Magic predictions, odds, pick for NBA Cup 2024
11/11/2024 09:10 PM
The Charlotte Hornets hit the road to take on the Orlando Magic Tuesday night for the first game of the NBA Cup. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series with a Hornets-Magic prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Here are the Hornets-Magic NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Hornets-Magic Odds
Charlotte Hornets: +6.5 (-112)
Moneyline: +205
Orlando Magic: -6.5 (-108)
Moneyline: -250
Over: 214 (-110)
Under: 214 (-110)
How To Watch Hornets vs. Magic
Time: 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT
TV: FanDuel Sports Southeast, FanDuel Sports Network Florida
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Hornets Could Cover the Spread/Win
LaMelo Ball is the key for the Hornets. Ball is one of the best in the NBA, and it is showing this season. He is scoring 29.4 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. With Ball healthy, the Hornets are playing better basketball to begin this season. The Magic are not nearly the same without Paolo Banchero, so if Ball continues to play well, the Hornets will have a great chance to win.
As mentioned, the Magic are without Paolo Banchero. Banchero has been out for the last six games, and he is going to miss a lot more. Without him, the Magic have really struggled to score. They are scoring just 104.5 points per game without Banchero, and they are 2-4 in those games. The Hornets have to stop Franz Wagner, but without Banchero, Charlotte has a great chance to win.
Charlotte has been good on the defensive end of the floor this season. Much better than what they were last year. This season, the Hornets have allowed 112.5 points per game. Now that is not top-10 in the NBA, but it is still a good number. This season, when the Hornets allow less than 115 points, they have three of their four wins. If the Hornets can continue to play well on defense, they will be able to win this game.
Why the Magic Could Cover the Spread/Win
Orlando lost their first four games without their star player. However, the last two games have been much better. It seems they figured something out to help them win games without Banchero. In their last two games, the Magic have won by 27 in both. That was against the New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards, but the Hornets are not much better than either team. If the Magic can continue to play well, they are going to win this game at home.
In those two games, the Magic have allowed 88 points and 94 points. It is very easy to win games in the NBA if you allow less than 100 points. On the season, the Magic have allowed just 106.3 points per game, which is the second-lowest in the NBA. Orlando slows it down, and forces a decent amount of turnovers. This causes teams to not take as many shots against them. If the Magic can continue to be good on defense, they will be able to win their first game of the NBA Cup.
LaMelo Ball is very good, but the Hornets still struggle to score. Charlotte scores less than 110 points per game. Along with that, the Hornets have the third-lowest field goal percentage in the NBA. Charlotte struggles to make shots, and they are going to have an even harder time because they are playing the Magic. Orlando should be able to keep the Hornets from scoring a lot of points in this game, which will help them win the game.
Final Hornets-Magic Prediction & Pick
I have a feeling this will end up being a good game. The Magic are playing well, and the Hornets are doing a good job on defense. With the spread being six points, I am going to take the Hornets to cover and keep the game close.
Final Hornets-Magic Prediction & Pick: Hornets +6.5 (-112)
The post Hornets vs. Magic predictions, odds, pick for NBA Cup 2024 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
