The Orlando Magic are surprisingly at the top of the Eastern Conference, and they are looking for the fourth consecutive win, while the Charlotte Hornets is searching their eight in a row against Orlando. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Magic at Hornets
Spread: Charlotte -3.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 211.5 (-110)
The Magic are hoping to extend the winning run
Only a few could expect that the Orlando Magic will be at the top of the Eastern Conference after five matches played, but they are the most pleasant surprise at the moment and are performing excellently. Victories over Cleveland and San Antonio were quite surprising, but the Magic showed that they could play are have to be taken seriously this season.
The Orlando Magic destroyed the San Antonio Spurs, 114:87 in the previous game, thanks to the fantastic display in the first half when they scored 61 points, in opposite to San Antonio’s 34, and at that point, it was clear that the hosts will take a massive win. Orlando had an excellent field goal percentage (57.1%), and they hit 11 threes on 23 attempts (47.8%). Although other segments were pretty much equalized, a fantastic shot that followed the Magic throughout the entire match proved to be vital for a big victory. Evan Fournier led Orlando with 25 points (10-12 FG, 4-4 3PT) and five rebounds, while the former Spurs player Jonathon Simmons contributed with 17 points and four boards. Aaron Gordon was also great from the field (7-11) and posted 16 points and six rebounds, while the center Nikola Vucevic chipped in with 15 points and a pair of blocks. Gordon has been phenomenal since his return from an injury, and he recorded 57 points and 20 rebounds in the previous two outings, and he is undoubtedly a player to watch on Sunday, in a matchup with Marvin Williams. Fournier is also playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 22.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 3.6 apg, so these individuals should be monitored in Charlotte as they could be the match winners. Vucevic could have problems in the paint as he’s facing Dwight Howard, who has been like an old self in this campaign.
Adreian Payne is a long-term absentee, while Elfrid Payton is close to returning to the floor after suffering a hamstring injury at Brooklyn last week, but he will likely sit out the next few matches as a precaution. D.J. Augustin stepped in and played very well at the point guard position, and will continue to serve as a starter until Elfrid comes back. The Magic are scoring 118.00 points per contest on average, which is the 2nd best in the NBA, while they are allowing 107.20 in return, and the three-point percentage of 45.93% makes them the top shooting team in the league.
Place: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Date/Time: Sunday, October 30th, 2017. 5:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSSE
The Hornets are searching for the eighth consecutive victory over Orlando
The Charlotte Hornets are in a hot and cold form at the moment as they recorded two wins and three losses so far in the season, including the most recent one to the Houston Rockets are home, 93:109. The Hornets struggled against the dynamic Houston’s offense, and three-point shooting as Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson combined for 12 threes. Although the Hornets stood still for the first three quarters, the visitors won the final period by 12 points, and that decided the clash.
Charlotte disappointing field goal percentage (37.5%) didn’t help, as well as the fact that they had just 57.1% from the free throw line (16-28), mostly because of Dwight Howard’s poor conversion (5-15). Kemba Walker led the team with 26 points (8-22 FG, 4-6 3PT, 6-6 FT) and five assists, while Jeremy Lamb followed him with 20 points. Dwight Howard continued with his solid performances on both ends of the floor as he recorded 19 points and 16 boards, and it seems that he and Charlotte are a perfect match as he’s looking like the old “Superman” we know. However, the free throw shooting is still Howard’s biggest trouble, and the opposing teams are fouling him on purpose just to send him to the line, knowing that he’ll mostly shoot under 50%. Dwight will have another solid chance to post a double-double on Sunday when he faces Nikola Vucevic, who is not known as a particularly good defender, so I expect the former Atlanta Hawk to dominate in the paint. Kemba Walker has a favorable matchup with Augustin and should score 20+ on this one. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marvin Williams were quite useless against Houston as they combined for miserable seven points, so I believe they will bounce back in this encounter.
The Hornets have several injury-related issues as the star NicBatum is still sidelined with a torn ligament and is not going to feature for another month at least. Lamb took his place in the starting lineup, and he’s doing a decent job at the moment, Charlotte misses Batum’s great all-around performances and excellent defense. Julyan Stone is also unavailable due to a hamstring injury and will miss 4-6 weeks, while Michael Carter-Williams is out with a knee injury, and is not close to returning. Treveon Graham (quad contusion) is listed as questionable for this duel. The Hornets are scoring 99.20 points per contest on average, while they are allowing 99.60 in return, so I am anticipating a close game, but considering Orlando’s efficient offense, we could see a bunch of points here.
Orlando Magic at Charlotte Hornets Trends & Prediction
The Magic are without a victory in the last seven meetings with Charlotte and are now looking closer than ever to beat them, given that they already defeated such teams as the Cavs and Spurs thus far. The players are full of confidence, and that is evident on the floor, as they’re taking shots from every possible position, and it is not easy to defend them. The Magic are 3-2 (1-1 away) against the spread, while they are 3-2 (1-1 away) on over/under, so it’s pretty ungrateful to predict what’s going to happen here. Charlotte is a slight favorite here, but I a giving an advantage to the visitors.
The Hornets didn’t lose to Orlando at home since 2014, and they have an excellent record in H2H matches in recent history, but that could change on Sunday. Charlotte is 2-3 against the spread, while they are 0-5 on over/under, so I believe it’s the right time for them to go OVER, and I am backing it.
My Pick: Orlando +3.5 (-110)
Total: Over 211.5 (-110)
