The Orlando Magic (23-54) square off against the Dallas Mavericks (24-54) at Amway Center. The game will air on Fox SportsNet Florida at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 4, 2018.
Dallas is a 1.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 202.5 points.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic Betting Prediction
The Mavericks will be looking for similar success after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in their last contest, 115-109. The Mavericks had 8 steals and held the Trail Blazers to an offensive rebounding percentage of 12.5 (below their season average of 23.3). Dallas received a boost from Dennis Smith Jr., who led the team in scoring with 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting.
In the Magic’s last matchup, they easily got past the New York Knicks, 97-73. The Magic held the Knicks to an offensive rebounding percentage of 14.3 (below their season average of 24.4). The Knicks had a free throw rate of 0.105 (below their season average of 0.174). With 11 points and 10 rebounds, Orlando’s Khem Birch had a solid performance.
It could be a difficult game for Orlando on the offensive glass. The Magic are among the league’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking 27th in offensive rebounding percentage at 20.1 percent. Meanwhile, Dallas ranks sixth in the NBA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebounding percentage of 78.9 percent.
Dallas holds records of 24-54 straight up (SU) and 39-38 against the spread (ATS). A little over half of the Mavericks’ games have finished under the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Orlando is 23-54 SU and 33-41-2 ATS. Magic games have typically finished under the total (59.2 percent).
Nikola Vucevic has averaged 15.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over the last five games for Orlando.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Smith Jr. scored a game-high 20 points in the first game, in which the Mavericks beat the Magic 114-99, covering as 7.5-point favorites. He also had six rebounds. The game finished with a total of 213 points, which was just 2.5 points below the projected point total of 215.5 points. The Mavericks had a much better turnover percentage (4.1 vs. 12.8) and had a better free throw rate (0.229 vs. 0.203).
Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Mavericks, ATS Winner – Mavericks, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Dallas is 20-18 ATS on the road with 21 unders and 17 overs.
At home, Orlando is 14-23-1 ATS with 24 unders and 14 overs.
Dallas is 16-13 when they allow less than 100 points, while Orlando is 11-9.
In games where they score over 100 points, the Mavericks are 18-26 and the Magic are 22-29.
Dallas ranks third in points allowed in the paint per game (41.6) while Orlando ranks 29th (48.5).
The Mavericks rank first in points off turnovers allowed per game (13.8) while the Magic rank 19th (17.2).
Orlando averages 12.6 fast break points per game, which ranks 12th in the NBA. Dallas ranks 28th in fast break points allowed per game (14.2).
The Magic rank 14th in blocks per game (4.8) while the Mavericks rank 29th (3.8).
Dallas ranks fourth in second chance points allowed per game (11.2) while Orlando ranks 17th (12.7).
The Mavericks rank fourth in three pointers attempted per game (32.6) while the Magic rank 14th (29.5).
Dallas averages 22.6 assists per game, which ranks 17th in the NBA. Orlando ranks 24th in assists allowed per game (24.3).
Neither of these teams are great at rebounding the ball. The Magic are 25th in the league with 41.6 rebounds per game while the Mavericks are 26th with 41.2 rebounds per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Dallas is 2-3 ATS with 5 unders.
Orlando is 0-5 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Mavericks’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 2.0, down from 2.5 for the season.
During their last five games, the Magic have scored an average of 95.2 points per game (8.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 93.4 points per game (14.8 below their season average).
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