by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Feb 25, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
Where to watch: BSFL, BSIN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Magic -3
FanDuel: Magic -3
BetMGM: Magic -3.5
Caesars: Magic -3.5
Season record
Pacers: 26-35
Magic: 25-35
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!
Pacers - Magic preview, prediction and analysis
It’s not often that we’re granted a fun matchup between two bottom feeders in the Eastern Conference, but that’s what we’re getting with the Indiana Pacers visiting the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on Saturday.
The Pacers haven’t had the greatest run of luck over the last month or so, but entered the All-Star break on a high note with a 117-113 win over the Chicago Bulls. That was followed with taking the Boston Celtics to overtime but losing 142-138 in a barnburner at home. And what a night it was for big man Myles Turner, scoring a career-high 40 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and going 13 of 15 from the floor, 8 of 10 from 3-point range, and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line.
Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points to go with 14 assists and Buddy Hield had 18 points, but that was all the Pacers could muster. There wasn’t enough in the tank to carry Turner’s historic performance across the finish line.
“You can't ask for a better fight,” Turner said. “That was the No. 1 team in the league. We go toe-to-toe with them and go to overtime. We don’t want any pity, but I think we're taking a step in the right direction.”
The Pacers showed at the start of the year that they’re going to be a competitive team with Haliburton for a long time. Until then, they are nine games below .500 and are three games back of the Washington Wizards for the final spot in the play-in round. The Chicago Bulls are ahead of them by a game, but it’s clear that there’s going to need to be a run of epic proportions to get Indiana at a comfortable pace in the play-in.
The Magic aren’t quite out of things yet, either. They’re 4.5 games back of the Washington Wizards for that 10th spot, but the Magic aren’t meant to be in this spot yet. There’s still good years ahead of them with the likes of Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and others.
Orlando is coming off a 108-106 win over the Detroit Pistons in their first game back from the break where Wendell Carter Jr. converted the buzzer-beating putback to give Orlando a third win in five games. Carter finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, six of them on the offensive glass, and Franz Wagner led the way with 21 points to offset a quiet 11-point game from Banchero.
“Tonight was his night — big-time rebounds, battling on the boards,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of his center.
The Magic still have a chance to make the playoffs, but the key is seeing them improve under Mosley. They already have the Rookie of the Year, they have a good nucleus around them but their time will come.
Prediction
Both thoughts can be made for both teams, but I do like the Pacers to bounce back and use that guard play to their advantage. This should be an interesting matchup. Pacers 118, Magic 110
Betting trends
Pacers are 12-16 ATS in road games this season.
Pacers are 25-23 ATS as an underdog this season.
Magic are 13-14 ATS as a favorite the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Pacers:
PG: Tyrese Haliburton
SG: Andrew Nembhard
SF: Buddy Hield
PF: Aaron Nesmith
C: Myles Turner
Magic:
PG: Markelle Fultz
SG: Gary Harris
SF: Franz Wagner
PF: Paolo Banchero
C: Wendell Carter Jr.
Injury report
None
None
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
