by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Mar 08, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Amway Arena, Orlando, FL
Where to watch: ATTSN-RM, BSFL
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Magic -3.5
FanDuel: Magic -3.5
BetMGM: Magic -3.5
Caesars: Magic -3.5
Season record
Jazz: 31-35
Magic: 27-39
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!
Jazz - Magic preview, prediction and analysis
The Utah Jazz and the Orlando Magic are on two different sides of the spectrum. Utah is still fighting for a playoff spot even though they are dead last in the northwest division, while the magic are still fighting for relevancy and looking for a chance to squeak into the playoffs should they catch fire at any given time.
And as both teams get ready to face each other on Thursday, Utah is in a pretty solid position at the moment despite the fact that they are now four games below 500 and have lost four straight games.
The jazz are coming off a demoralizing 120-116 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. In a game where Utah was really in a good position to keep things afloat and possibly pull off the upset, they had no answer for Kyrie Irving scoring 17 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter. Lauri Markkanen had 33 points to lead Utah, and talen Horton Tucker had 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting.
This four-game losing streak completely offset the minute momentum that Utah had developed over the last couple of weeks before the All-Star break, winning five of eight and pushing themselves back up to an even record. But Utah has been an underdog in three of the last four games including being 11 point dogs against Dallas the other day. Fortunately for them they covered and it was the first cover since beating San Antonio on February 25th.
But Utah is in a position right now where it cannot afford to have another slump like the one that's on right now. Utah is 1/2 game back of the New Orleans Pelicans for the 10th spot in the Western Conference, but they are not the only ones fighting for positioning. Portland and Oklahoma City both have the same record as New Orleans while the jazz are looking for any type of solidarity.
Utah will be taking on an Orlando team that has lost three of its last four with two of those losses coming at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks. That is nothing to sneeze at whatsoever, especially considering Orlando lost by only 11 to Milwaukee and that powerhouse of a team in the Eastern Conference.
Cole Anthony led Orlando with 23 points and has been stellar since becoming a mainstay back into the lineup. Paulo Banchero had 20 points on 7 of 18 shooting and Franz Wagner also added 21 points while shooting 50% from the field.
There hasn't been much to write home about as regards to Orlando considering the fact that they have failed to cover in six of their last eight games and have only seen the spread of 2.5 come across their way in the last two games. Even against Charlotte in that 117-106 win on March 3rd, Orlando was laying just four points. So I would expect the spread to come around between four and six and see where that lands, but that does not bode well for Orlando even though they are at home for this game.
Prediction
Not much you can think of with this game other than the fact that it should be handled by the routine considering they are the ones playing the more desperate brand of basketball right now. Jazz 118, Magic 110
Projected starting lineup
Jazz:
PG: Kris Dunn
SG: Talen Horton-Tucker
SF: Lauri Markkanen
PF: Kelly Olynyk
C: Walker Kessler
Magic:
PG: Markelle Fultz
SG: Gary Harris
SF: Franz Wagner
PF: Paolo Banchero
C: Moritz Wagner
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
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.
